Word of the Day: careen

The word careen has appeared in 11 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 29 in “Where the Wall of Death Is a Way of Life” by Allie Conti:

The few dozen people who shuffled inside the tent cheered for Bobby Frankenstein, a 26-year-old newcomer from Buffalo, who rode a motorcycle around a wooden silo about 26 feet in diameter. Centripetal force kept him pinned to the wall. The crowd cheered appreciatively, many of them watching through the screens of their smartphones.

Then into the bowl went Johnny Dare, a bald and muscular Englishman, also in his 60s. He rode a Harley-Davidson dirt bike and continually jerked the wheel of his bike to make it seem as if he was about to careen into the audience. By the time the two men were chasing each other inside the motordrome for the finale — what’s known as the cannonball pursuit — the audience seemed divided. While the adults were plainly enthralled, a little boy in a ball cap was plugging his ears. A girl with a long braid fell to the ground and hugged her mother’s ankles.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word careen in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how careen can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.