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Dictionary Language resources

careen

Pronunciation: /kəˈriːn/

Definition of careen

verb

1 [with object] turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning, caulking, or repair.
[no object] (of a ship) tilt; lean over:a heavy flood tide caused my vessel to careen dizzily

2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] chiefly North American move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way:an electric golf cart careened around the corner

Origin:

late 16th century (as a noun denoting the position of a careened ship): from French carène, from Italian carena, from Latin carina 'a keel'. Sense 2 was influenced by the verb career