View synonyms for carry

carry

[ kar-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

, car·ried, car·ry·ing.

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.
to wear, hold, or have around one:
He carries his knife in his pocket. He carries a cane.
to contain or be capable of containing; hold:
The suitcase will carry enough clothes for a week.
to serve as an agency or medium for the transmission of:
The wind carried the sound. He carried the message to me.
to be the means of conveying or transporting (something or someone):
The wind carried the balloon out of sight.
to be pregnant with:
His wife is carrying twins.
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.
to bear the weight, burden, etc., of; sustain:
These piers once carried an arch.
Synonyms: support
to take (a leading or guiding part), as in singing; bear or sustain (a part or melody).
to hold (the body, head, etc.) in a certain manner:
She carries her head high.
to behave or comport (oneself ):
She carries herself with decorum.
to take the initiative in (a contest):
The Giants carried the game to the Browns.
to secure the adoption of (a motion or bill).
to get a plurality or majority of electoral votes in (a district).
Synonyms: secure, gain
to extend or continue in a given direction or to a certain point:
to carry the war into enemy territory.
to bring, impart, hear, transmit, or communicate news, a message, etc.
to lead or influence by emotional or intellectual appeal:
The actor carried his audience with him.
to bear the major burden of (a group, performance, etc.) by superior talent, determination, etc.:
The star carried the whole play.
to serve as a conduit for:
This pipe carries water to the house.
to have as an attribute, property, consequence, etc.; presume or entail:
Violation carries a penalty of five years in prison.
to support or give validity to (a related claim, argument, etc.):
One decision carries another.
Commerce.
1. to keep on hand or in stock.
2. to keep on the account books.
to bear as a crop:
This land will not carry corn.
to sustain or support:
Our grain supply will carry the cattle through the winter. This money will carry us for about a week.
to be enrolled for or to undertake as an amount of work:
New students are advised not to carry more than 16 credits.
Golf. to advance beyond or go by (an object or expanse) with one stroke.
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.
Hunting. to retain and pursue (a scent).
(in addition) to transfer (a number) from one denomination to the succeeding one.
to have as a maximum working pressure:
This boiler carries 190 pounds per square inch.

verb (used without object)

, car·ried, car·ry·ing.

to act as a bearer or conductor.
to have or exert propelling force.
to be transmitted, propelled, or sustained:
My voice carries farther than his.
(of a horse) to bear the head in a particular manner while in action:
The horse carries well.

noun

, plural car·ries.

range, as of a gun.
Golf. the distance a stroked ball travels.
land that separates navigable waters and over which a canoe or boat must be carried; portage.
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.
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

[ kar-e ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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

carry

/ ˈkærɪ /

verb

also intr to take or bear (something) from one place to another
to carry a baby in one's arms
to transfer for consideration; take
he carried his complaints to her superior
to have on one's person
he always carries a watch
also intr to be transmitted or serve as a medium for transmitting
sound carries best over water
to contain or be capable of containing
the jug carries water
to bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure, or responsibility of
her efforts carry the whole production
to have as an attribute or result
this crime carries a heavy penalty
to bring or communicate
to carry news
also intr to be pregnant with (young)
she is carrying her third child
to bear (the head, body, etc) in a specified manner
she carried her head high
to conduct or bear (oneself) in a specified manner
she carried herself well in a difficult situation
to continue or extend
the war was carried into enemy territory
to cause to move or go
desire for riches carried him to the city
to influence, esp by emotional appeal
his words carried the crowd
to secure the passage of (a bill, motion, etc)
to win (an election)
to obtain victory for (a candidate or measure) in an election
to win a plurality or majority of votes in (a district, legislative body, etc)
the candidate carried 40 states
to capture
our troops carried the town
(of communications media) to include as the content
this newspaper carries no book reviews
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
maths to transfer (a number) from one column of figures to the next, as from units to tens in multiplication and addition
(of a shop, trader, etc) to keep in stock
to carry confectionery
to support (a musical part or melody) against the other parts
to sustain (livestock)
this land will carry twelve ewes to the acre
to maintain (livestock) in good health but without increasing their weight or obtaining any products from them
intr (of a ball, projectile, etc) to travel through the air or reach a specified point
his first drive carried to the green
sport golf (of a ball) to travel beyond
the drive carried the trees
intr (of a gun) to have a range as specified
this rifle carries for 1200 yards
to retain contact with and pursue (a line of scent)
intr (of ground) to be in such a condition that scent lies well upon it
ice hockey to move (the puck) forwards, keeping it against the blade of the stick
informal.
to imbibe (alcoholic drink) without showing ill effects
slang.
intr to have drugs on one's person
carry all before one
to win unanimous support or approval for oneself
carry a tune
to be able to sing in tune
carry the can informal.
to take the responsibility for some misdemeanour, etc (on behalf of)
carry the day
to win a contest or competition; succeed

noun

the act of carrying
a portion of land over which a boat must be portaged
the range of a firearm or its projectile
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

Discover More

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

Discover More

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

Discover More

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

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

carry a tune, to sing a melody accurately or on key.
carry all before one, to be highly successful:
In his academic and social life he carried all before him.
carry it off, Informal. to succeed in an action, endeavor, or scheme.
carry the day, to win the contest or be triumphant; prevail. The Republicans carried the day.
carry too far, to exceed the limits of; go to excess with:
She is carrying her crusading too far.
carry the can. can ²( def 16 ).

More idioms and phrases containing carry

fetch and carry
(carry) off someone's feet

Discover More

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.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Smith, who still carries himself with the eager enthusiasm of a worship leader, no longer goes to church.

From Los Angeles Times

Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israel has violated the resolution by carrying out military flights over the country.

From BBC

The “Strip That Down” singer’s dark blue casket arrived at the church in a white horse-drawn hearse carrying floral arrangements spelling the words “son” and “daddy,” the BBC said.

From Los Angeles Times

The study used two types of mouse cells -- connective tissue cells and stem cells -- engineered to carry a synthetic cellular communication system or "genetic circuit."

From Science Daily

“The experiences were something that I will carry with me forever because it made me a strong human being mentally and physically. It prepared me for a lot of things outside of football.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

carrousel carryall

Browse