Meaning & use
careered
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“careered” is a form of “career”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Moved forward very fast and out of control, often hitting or nearly hitting something.
Grammar: No object, usually followed by a direction: the truck careered down the hill.
Patterns
- careered down something
- careered into something
- careered off something
The runaway cart careered down the slope and crashed into a fence.
A bus careered across the road and stopped inches from the shop window.
The skier lost an edge and careered into the safety netting.
verbintransitivefigurative
Moved quickly from one situation or mood to another without control or direction.
Grammar: No object, with a path word: the conversation careered from joy to anger.
Patterns
- careered from something to something
- careered towards something
The meeting careered from one topic to another with no clear plan.
His emotions careered between hope and despair during the trial.
The economy careered toward a crisis after the bank failed.
Common combinations
- careered out of control
- The car careered out of control on the icy bridge.
- careered down the hill
- The wheelbarrow careered down the hill by itself.
- careered off the road
- The van careered off the road and landed in a ditch.
- careered into a wall
- The scooter careered into a wall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hurtled
- Hurtled stresses great speed but does not always mean the movement was out of control.
- swerved
- Swerved means turning suddenly to one side, while careered describes a wild, uncontrolled path.
- plunged
- Plunged suggests a sudden downward movement, whereas careered can happen on flat ground.
- lurched
- Lurched describes an unsteady jerk, and is shorter and less dramatic than careered.
Opposites
Word family
- career verb
- to move fast and out of control
- careering verb
- the -ing form, moving wildly
- careers verb
- third person singular present form
Commonly confused: careered or carried? careered or cared?
careered vs carried
Carried is the past tense of carry, meaning to hold and move something, while careered means to rush out of control.
careered vs cared
Cared means felt concern, and has nothing to do with fast movement.
Practice
The shopping cart ____ down the car park and hit a parked van.
Choose one answer.
Careered describes fast, uncontrolled movement, which fits a runaway cart. Carried needs someone to hold the cart, so it is tempting but wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “careered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.