Definition

1. Verb:
   • To change direction, especially suddenly or sharply: The primary meaning of "veer" describes a sudden or marked change in the direction of movement, typically for a vehicle, person, or wind.
   • To shift in a clockwise direction (meteorology/navigation): In specific contexts like sailing or weather, "veer" can mean a wind shift in a clockwise direction (e.g., from north to east).

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The car suddenly veered off the road to avoid hitting the deer.
  • The storm's path veered eastward overnight, sparing the coastal city.
  • In sailing, when the wind veers, it changes direction clockwise from the perspective of a person facing the wind.

Advanced Usage

• "to veer toward/away from": to change direction to move closer to or farther from something, often used figuratively.

  • The politician's speech veered toward more populist themes.
  • The conversation veered away from the sensitive topic.

• "to veer off course/path/topic": to deviate from an intended direction, route, or subject.

  • The hiker veered off the path and got lost.
  • The lecturer veered off topic for a good twenty minutes.

Variants and Related Words

• Veering (noun/gerund): The act or instance of changing direction.
  • The sudden veering of the bus startled the passengers.

Synonyms

• Swerve: to change direction abruptly, especially to avoid something.
• Deviate: to depart from an established course or norm.
• Sheer (nautical): to deviate from a course, especially a ship.
• Shift: to move or change from one position or direction to another.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "veer" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed with prepositions like "off," "toward," "away from," etc., as shown in the Advanced Usage section.)

Related Idioms

• "to veer and haul" (nautical, archaic): To alternately pull ropes in different directions; figuratively, to vacillate or change one's mind frequently.
• "veer off on a tangent": A common variation of "go off on a tangent," meaning to suddenly start discussing a different, often unrelated, subject.
  • He veered off on a tangent about his childhood instead of answering the question.

Verb

1. shift to a clockwise direction
   • the wind veered
2. turn sharply; change direction abruptly
   • The car cut to the left at the intersection
   • The motorbike veered to the right