veer
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to change direction or turn about or aside; shift, turn, or change from one course, position, inclination, etc., to another.
The speaker kept veering from his main topic. The car veered off the road.
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(of the wind)
verb (used with object)
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to alter the direction or course of; turn.
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Nautical. to turn (a vessel) away from the wind; wear.
noun
verb (used with object)
verb
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to alter direction (of); swing around
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(intr) to change from one position, opinion, etc, to another
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(intr)
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(of the wind) to change direction clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern
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nautical to blow from a direction nearer the stern Compare haul
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nautical to steer (a vessel) off the wind
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- veeringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of veer1
First recorded in 1575–85, veer is from the Middle French word virer to turn
Origin of veer2
1425–75; late Middle English vere < Middle Dutch vieren to let out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Passengers described hearing a noise underneath the tram, after which it veered off, gathered speed and hit a building.
From BBC
He was seen earlier veering into the grass verge of the eastbound carriageway between junctions 6 and 5, as well as swerving between lanes.
From BBC
A couple of tunes veer in an alt-rock direction, such as “If I Leave,” which adopts the quiet verses/loud chorus structure of the ’90s to powerful effect.
For many folks — and I say this as someone whose diet has veered aggressively beige for entire seasons — vegetables simply fall outside their default rhythms.
From Salon
Dickinson was known to share strong opinions that veered negative and even mean-spirited on the judging panel.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
