J. P. Getty
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Careen and Career
Some people might be confused by the warning to not confuse careen and career, because the most common sense of career ("a profession") is not much like any of the meanings of careen. But when employed as a verb, career does have some semantic overlap with careen; both words may be used to mean "to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner." A car, for instance, may either careen or career. Some usage guides hold, however, that the car is only careening if there is side-to-side motion, as careen has other meanings related to movement, among which is "to sway from side to side."
Examples of careen in a Sentence
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
The divorced mom of three, along with Ramirez and some pals, soaked up the sun, rode on personal watercraft and careened down a giant slide.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
On his game winner, as Jake Oettinger careened toward the near post to square him up, Hughes very intentionally shot wide to the far side into a tangle of bodies.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Hunter Feduccia had an infield single, and then took second when Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson rushed a throw after fielding the grounder and sent it careening into first-base foul territory and into the Rays' bullpen.
—CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for careen
Cite this Entry
“Careen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careen. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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