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1 8.1
To move quickly and without control in one direction
  • verb
  • /kəˈrɪr/
translation icon : desbocarse
  • He careered off the path, narrowly missing a tree.
  • go careering
  • careering out of control

Examples

  • He careered off the road.

  • Then the ascent of Mount Abu was not for the faint-hearted: hairpin bends, sheer drops on either side, lorries and coaches careering past us all made us wonder what on earth we had let ourselves in for.

    Blog text (19)
  • If every pilot were to go careering around France!

  • It careers down a side street.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Appearing suddenly at the far end comes the Dog-Beast, careering towards her down the corridor.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • As you will see (to use one of my choice phrases of late), we just went careering off a cliff.

    Blog text (3)
  • He swerved the wheel from side to side, causing the car, at high speed, to career across the road, and eventually it hit a curb and turned over several times.

    Blog text (30)
  • They careered through the spring night in silence, bumping against each other as the cab jolted and jarred around corners, righted itself again, and charged on.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Seefeld was a motorcycle dispatch rider—a hair-raising job—and he often found himself careering down desert highways with shells exploding all around him.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The car careered down the hill, losing control as it went.

Synonyms

to buck
vsto career
9 6.8

To move suddenly and violently to try to throw someone off

is about headlong uncontrolled motion rather than violent throwing action
to rush along
vsto career
1 2.7

To move quickly in one direction

is more out of control and headlong rather than merely hurried
to hurtle towards
vsto career
1 6.8

To move very fast and out of control toward something, often causing harm

is even more headlong and uncontrollable rather than merely forceful
to cannonball along
vsto career
  • Informal
7.1

To move very quickly in a straight, forceful way

is more uncontrolled and wild rather than straight and forceful
to elance
vsto career
9.9

To move suddenly and fast in one direction

is more uncontrolled and forceful rather than quick darting

Phrasal Verbs

Choose a job or activity as your main paid work for many years

Compounds

25 2.7

A series of jobs someone has during their working life that lead to higher roles

A person who spends most of their life working in government as their main job

9 3.5

A woman who focuses mainly on her job, often putting work before family

career girl
  • Archaic
3 3.8

A woman who makes her work her main goal instead of family life

A series of job levels a person moves up to reach higher positions

The path a person's work life takes over time

Help and advice to choose, change, build a job or career

1 3.8

A man who focuses mainly on his job and moving up at work

A choice or action that makes it harder for you to get promoted

A career that is getting more successful and important

A career that includes many different jobs and skills

A politician with many years of experience in public office

How Fast

to plummet
93 5.8
to hurtle
5 7.0
to career
1 8.1
to rush
548 1.0
to run
1.0
to walk
1.0
to amble
15 4.8

Surface Forms

career infinitive
careered past
careered past participle
careering present participle
careers third person singular

Etymology

Career (as in 'careered') also comes from that old idea of a 'road' or 'racecourse' and the image of something moving fast along it, like a vehicle out of control, so a thing that careers moves quickly and often uncontrollably in a direction.