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View synonyms for carry

carry

1

[ kar-ee ]

verb (used with object)

, car·ried, car·ry·ing.
  1. to take or support from one place to another; convey; transport:

    He carried her for a mile in his arms. This elevator cannot carry more than ten people.

  2. to wear, hold, or have around one:

    He carries his knife in his pocket. He carries a cane.

  3. to contain or be capable of containing; hold:

    The suitcase will carry enough clothes for a week.

  4. to serve as an agency or medium for the transmission of:

    The wind carried the sound. He carried the message to me.

  5. to be the means of conveying or transporting (something or someone):

    The wind carried the balloon out of sight.

  6. to be pregnant with:

    His wife is carrying twins.

  7. to put ahead to a subsequent time, page, etc., or to a higher authority; continue or transfer:

    to carry a case to a higher court; to carry a footnote to a new page.

  8. to bear the weight, burden, etc., of; sustain:

    These piers once carried an arch.

    Synonyms: support

  9. to take (a leading or guiding part), as in singing; bear or sustain (a part or melody).
  10. to hold (the body, head, etc.) in a certain manner:

    She carries her head high.

  11. to behave or comport (oneself ):

    She carries herself with decorum.

  12. to take the initiative in (a contest):

    The Giants carried the game to the Browns.

  13. to secure the adoption of (a motion or bill).
  14. to get a plurality or majority of electoral votes in (a district).

    Synonyms: secure, gain

  15. to extend or continue in a given direction or to a certain point:

    to carry the war into enemy territory.

  16. to bring, impart, hear, transmit, or communicate news, a message, etc.
  17. to lead or influence by emotional or intellectual appeal:

    The actor carried his audience with him.

  18. to bear the major burden of (a group, performance, etc.) by superior talent, determination, etc.:

    The star carried the whole play.

  19. to serve as a conduit for:

    This pipe carries water to the house.

  20. to have as an attribute, property, consequence, etc.; presume or entail:

    Violation carries a penalty of five years in prison.

  21. to support or give validity to (a related claim, argument, etc.):

    One decision carries another.

  22. Commerce.
    1. to keep on hand or in stock.
    2. to keep on the account books.
  23. to bear as a crop:

    This land will not carry corn.

  24. to sustain or support:

    Our grain supply will carry the cattle through the winter. This money will carry us for about a week.

  25. to be enrolled for or to undertake as an amount of work:

    New students are advised not to carry more than 16 credits.

  26. Golf. to advance beyond or go by (an object or expanse) with one stroke.
  27. Ice Hockey. to cause (a puck) to move forward along the ice and in one's control by a series of light, short taps with the stick.
  28. Hunting. to retain and pursue (a scent).
  29. (in addition) to transfer (a number) from one denomination to the succeeding one.
  30. to have as a maximum working pressure:

    This boiler carries 190 pounds per square inch.



verb (used without object)

, car·ried, car·ry·ing.
  1. to act as a bearer or conductor.
  2. to have or exert propelling force.
  3. to be transmitted, propelled, or sustained:

    My voice carries farther than his.

  4. (of a horse) to bear the head in a particular manner while in action:

    The horse carries well.

noun

, plural car·ries.
  1. range, as of a gun.
  2. Golf. the distance a stroked ball travels.
  3. land that separates navigable waters and over which a canoe or boat must be carried; portage.
  4. a carrying.

verb phrase

    1. to make progress with.
    2. Bookkeeping. to transfer (an amount) to the next page, column, or book.
    3. Accounting. to apply (an unused credit or operating loss) to the net income of a succeeding period in order to reduce the tax for that period.
    1. to put into operation; execute:

      He doesn't have the funds to carry out his design.

    2. to effect or accomplish; complete:

      They carried out their plan without incident.

    1. to win (a prize, honor, etc.).
    2. to cause the death of:

      The Black Plague in the Middle Ages carried off more than one-fourth of the population of Europe.

    1. to influence greatly or unreasonably, especially emotionally; excite; transport:

      The spectators were carried away by the appeal to their patriotism.

    2. Nautical. (of the wind or sea) to dislodge or send overboard.
    3. Nautical. (of a vessel) to lose (an object or objects) through breakage.
    4. Nautical. (of a rope or chain) to break under strain.
    1. to accomplish; complete.
    2. to support or help through a difficult situation.
    3. to continue or be prevalent in; persist:

      a theme that carried through all his writing.

  1. Accounting. to apply (an unused credit or operating loss) to the net income of a prior period in order to reduce the tax for that period.
    1. to manage; conduct.
    2. to continue without stopping:

      Rescue operations were carried on in spite of the storm.

    3. to continue to live, work, etc., despite a setback or tragedy; persevere.
    4. Informal. to behave in an agitated, foolish, or indiscreet manner.
    5. to misbehave or be disruptive; act up.
    6. Nautical. to proceed under excessive sail for the weather conditions.
    1. to hold until a later time; postpone.
    2. to be left; remain.
    3. Bookkeeping. to transfer (an amount) to the next page, column, or book.
    4. Accounting. to apply (an unused credit or operating loss) to the net income of a succeeding period in order to reduce the tax for that period.
    5. to extend from one activity or time to another:

      He does not carry over his business ethics into his personal relationships.

Carry

2

[ kar-e ]

noun

  1. a male given name, form of Carew.
  2. a female given name, form of Caroline.

carry

/ ˈkærɪ /

verb

  1. also intr to take or bear (something) from one place to another

    to carry a baby in one's arms

  2. to transfer for consideration; take

    he carried his complaints to her superior

  3. to have on one's person

    he always carries a watch

  4. also intr to be transmitted or serve as a medium for transmitting

    sound carries best over water

  5. to contain or be capable of containing

    the jug carries water

  6. to bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure, or responsibility of

    her efforts carry the whole production

  7. to have as an attribute or result

    this crime carries a heavy penalty

  8. to bring or communicate

    to carry news

  9. also intr to be pregnant with (young)

    she is carrying her third child

  10. to bear (the head, body, etc) in a specified manner

    she carried her head high

  11. to conduct or bear (oneself) in a specified manner

    she carried herself well in a difficult situation

  12. to continue or extend

    the war was carried into enemy territory

  13. to cause to move or go

    desire for riches carried him to the city

  14. to influence, esp by emotional appeal

    his words carried the crowd

  15. to secure the passage of (a bill, motion, etc)
  16. to win (an election)
  17. to obtain victory for (a candidate or measure) in an election
  18. to win a plurality or majority of votes in (a district, legislative body, etc)

    the candidate carried 40 states

  19. to capture

    our troops carried the town

  20. (of communications media) to include as the content

    this newspaper carries no book reviews

  21. accounting to transfer (an item) to another account, esp to transfer to the following year's account instead of writing off against profit and loss Also (esp US)carry over

    to carry a loss

  22. maths to transfer (a number) from one column of figures to the next, as from units to tens in multiplication and addition
  23. (of a shop, trader, etc) to keep in stock

    to carry confectionery

  24. to support (a musical part or melody) against the other parts
  25. to sustain (livestock)

    this land will carry twelve ewes to the acre

  26. to maintain (livestock) in good health but without increasing their weight or obtaining any products from them
  27. intr (of a ball, projectile, etc) to travel through the air or reach a specified point

    his first drive carried to the green

  28. sport golf (of a ball) to travel beyond

    the drive carried the trees

  29. intr (of a gun) to have a range as specified

    this rifle carries for 1200 yards

  30. to retain contact with and pursue (a line of scent)
  31. intr (of ground) to be in such a condition that scent lies well upon it
  32. ice hockey to move (the puck) forwards, keeping it against the blade of the stick
  33. informal.
    to imbibe (alcoholic drink) without showing ill effects
  34. slang.
    intr to have drugs on one's person
  35. carry all before one
    to win unanimous support or approval for oneself
  36. carry a tune
    to be able to sing in tune
  37. carry the can informal.
    to take the responsibility for some misdemeanour, etc (on behalf of)
  38. carry the day
    to win a contest or competition; succeed
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

  1. the act of carrying
  2. a portion of land over which a boat must be portaged
  3. the range of a firearm or its projectile
  4. the distance travelled by a ball, etc, esp (in golf) the distance from where the ball is struck to where it first touches the ground
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • carri·a·ble carry·a·ble adjective
  • half-carried adjective
  • re·carry verb (used with object) recarried recarrying
  • un·carried adjective
  • under·carry verb (used with object) undercarried undercarrying
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Word History and Origins

Origin of carry1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English carien, from Anglo-French carier, from Late Latin carricāre “to load a wagon,” apparently variant of carrūcāre (unrecorded), derivative of Latin carrūca “traveling carriage,” from Celtic; car 1, charge
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Word History and Origins

Origin of carry1

C14 carien, from Old Northern French carier to move by vehicle, from car, from Latin carrum transport wagon; see car
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. carry a tune, to sing a melody accurately or on key.
  2. carry all before one, to be highly successful:

    In his academic and social life he carried all before him.

  3. carry it off, Informal. to succeed in an action, endeavor, or scheme.
  4. carry the day, to win the contest or be triumphant; prevail. The Republicans carried the day.
  5. carry too far, to exceed the limits of; go to excess with:

    She is carrying her crusading too far.

  6. carry the can. can 2( def 16 ).

More idioms and phrases containing carry

  • fetch and carry
  • (carry) off someone's feet
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Synonym Study

Carry, convey, transport, transmit imply taking or sending something from one place to another. Carry means to take by means of the hands, a vehicle, etc.: to carry a book; The boat carried a heavy load. Convey means to take by means of a nonhuman carrier: The wheat was conveyed to market by train. However, news, information, etc., can be conveyed by a human carrier: The secretary conveyed the message. Transport means to carry or convey goods, now usually by vehicle or vessel: to transport milk to customers. Transmit implies sending or transferring messages or hereditary tendencies: to transmit a telegram.
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Example Sentences

"Where we identify businesses which are being targeted by shoplifters, we have trained officers who can attend and carry out security surveys and offer advice around prevention."

From BBC

In both his character and capacity to carry out justice, Gaetz is the opposite of an appropriate candidate to lead the Department of Justice.

Another challenge McDonnell faces is having enough officers to carry out his vision.

A kind of subconcern underneath that was that these loyalists, unlike so many of the advisers Trump kept around him during that initial term, could be hardworking and knowledgeable about the operations of government, enabling him to actually, successfully carry out his most impulsive and punitive schemes: having enemies arrested, shutting down CNN because Jake Tapper made him mad, overthrowing the government because he doesn’t like the outcome of an election, that sort of thing.

From Slate

This all doesn’t, though, preclude the possibility that these secretaries will have effective deputies, or that Trump will have advisers or “czars” within the White House, like far-right anti-immigrant figures Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, who can conceive and carry out extreme plans.

From Slate

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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.

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