careen

UK: /kəˈriːn/ US: /kəˈrin/ ,(kə rēn′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ca•reen /kəˈrin/   v. 

1. Nautical to (cause to) lean or tip to one side while in motion;
   sway: [no obj]:
   The car careened around the corner.
   [ ~ + obj]:
   He careened the car around the corner and roared off.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ca•reen  (kə rēn′), v.i. 

1. Nautical (of a vehicle) to lean, sway, or tip to one side while in motion:
   The car careened around the corner.
2. Nautical, Naval Terms (of a ship) to heel over or list.
3. career (def. 7).
4. Dialect Terms [South Midland U.S.] to lean or bend away from the vertical position:
   The barn was careening a little.

v.t. [Naut.]

5. Nautical, Naval Terms to cause (a ship) to lie over on a side, as for repairs or cleaning;
   heave down.
6. Nautical, Naval Terms to clean or repair (a ship lying on its side for the purpose).
7. Naval Terms to cause (a ship) to heel over or list, as by the force of a beam wind.

n. 

8. a careening.
9. Nautical, Naval Terms the position of a careened ship.

• Latin carīna keel, nutshell; akin to Greek káryon nut
• Middle French carine
• 1585–95 for def. 9

ca•reen′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

careen / kəˈriːn/ verb

1. to sway or cause to sway dangerously over to one side
2. (transitive) to cause (a vessel) to keel over to one side, esp in order to clean or repair its bottom
3. (intransitive) (of a vessel) to keel over to one side

Etymology: 17th Century: from French carène keel, from Italian carena, from Latin carīna keel

caˈreenage noun