- 1[transitive] carry somebody/something to support the weight of someone or something and take them or it from place to place; to take someone or something from one place to another He was carrying a suitcase. She carried her baby in her arms. The injured were carried away on stretchers. a train carrying commuters to work
- 2[transitive] carry something to have something with you and take it wherever you go Police in many countries carry guns. I never carry much money on me.
- 3[transitive] carry something to contain and direct the flow of water, electricity, etc. a pipeline carrying oil The veins carry blood to the heart. disease
- 4[transitive] carry something if a person, an insect, etc. carries a disease, they are infected with it and might spread it to others although they might not become sick themselves Ticks can carry a nasty disease which affects humans. remember
- 5[transitive] carry something in your head/mind to be able to remember something support weight
- 6[transitive] carry something to support the weight of something A road bridge has to carry a lot of traffic. responsibility
- 7[transitive] carry something to accept responsibility for something; to suffer the results of something He is carrying the department (= it is only working because of his efforts). Their group was targeted to carry the burden of job losses.
- 8[transitive] carry something to have something as a quality or feature Her speech carried the ring of authority. My views don't carry much weight with (= have much influence on) the boss. Each bike carries a ten-year guarantee.
- 9[transitive] carry something to have something as a result Violent crimes carry heavy penalties. As a combat sport, karate carries with it the risk of injury. of throw/kick
- 10[intransitive] + noun + adv./prep. if something that is thrown, kicked, etc. carries a particular distance, it travels that distance before stopping The fullback's kick carried 50 yards into the crowd. of sound
- 11[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) if a sound carries, it can be heard a long distance away take to place/position
- 12[transitive] carry something/somebody to/into something to take something or someone to a particular point or in a particular direction The war was carried into enemy territory. Her abilities carried her to the top of her profession.
- 13[transitive, usually passive] carry something to approve of something by more people voting for it than against it The resolution was carried by 340 votes to 210.
- 14[transitive] carry somebody/something to win the support or sympathy of someone; to persuade people to accept your argument His moving speech was enough to carry the audience. have label
- 15[transitive] carry something to have a particular label or piece of information attached Cigarettes carry a health warning. news story
- 16[transitive] carry something if a newspaper or broadcast carries a particular story, it publishes or broadcasts it item in store
- 17[transitive] carry something if a store carries a particular item, it has it for sale We carry a range of educational software.
- 18[transitive] carry something to provide or take responsibility for the cost of something The company carries health insurance for all its employees. Few older Americans carry long-term care insurance. baby
- 19[transitive] be carrying someone to be pregnant with someone She was carrying twins. yourself
- 20[transitive] carry yourself + adv./prep. to hold or move your head or body in a particular way to carry yourself well adding numbers
- 21[transitive] carry something to add a number to the next column on the left when adding up numbers, for example when the numbers add up to more than ten Idioms
verb jump to other results
NAmE//ˈkæri//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they carry he / she / it carries
past simple carried
-ing form carrying
as quickly as you can
to get very excited or lose control of your feelings I got carried away and started shouting at the TV.
to take responsibility for getting something done My coworker was sick, so I had to carry the ball.
to be successful against someone or something Despite strong opposition, the ruling party carried the day.
to continue doing something beyond reasonable limits
to support something over a long period of time, even if others do not Coach Thomas still carries the torch for his team, in spite of a dismal season so far.
to be in love with someone, especially someone who does not love you in return
to be able to sing all the right notes in a piece of music They asked him to join the chorus, but he insisted that he couldn't carry a tune.
to do a lot of little jobs for someone as if you were their servant Most of her day was spent fetching and carrying for her family. Phrasal Verbscarry forwardcarry offcarry oncarry outcarry overcarry through
Check pronunciation: carry