veer

/vɪər/

/vɪə/

Other forms: veered; veering; veers

To veer is to make a sudden turn, like when a driver veers off the pavement or a pleasant conversation veers off in a troubling direction.

When you make any quick change of direction you veer. You can veer toward an attractive person at a party, leaving your friends mid-sentence. You veer away from an oncoming truck on the highway to avoid getting crushed. Originally, veer described a change in the direction of the wind, but as you can see, today, anyone or anything that changes direction veers.

Definitions of veer

1. verb

   turn sharply; change direction abruptly
   “The motorbike veered to the right”

   synonyms: curve, cut, sheer, slew, slue, swerve, trend

   types:

   peel off

   leave a formation

   yaw

   swerve off course momentarily

   type of:

   turn

   change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
2. verb

   shift to a clockwise direction
   “the wind veered”

   antonyms:

   back

   shift to a counterclockwise direction

   type of:

   change over, shift, switch

   make a shift in or exchange of