Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old North French
Origin: carier 'to take in a vehicle', from car 'vehicle', from Latin carrus; CAR

carry

1 verb
     
Related topics: Illness and Disability, Newspapers, Publishing
car‧ry1 S1 W1 past tense and past participle carried, present participle carrying, third person singular carries
1

lift and take

[transitive] to hold something in your hand or arms, or support it as you take it somewhere:
Gina was carrying a small bunch of flowers.
Angela carried the child in her arms.
Let me carry that for you.
Jack carried his grandson up the stairs.
carry something to something/somebody
The waiter carried our drinks to the table.
2

vehicle/ship/plane

[transitive] to take people or things from one place to another in a vehicle, ship, or plane:
The ship was carrying drugs.
There are more airplanes carrying more people than ever before.
3

pipe/wire etc

[transitive] if a pipe, wire etc carries something such as liquid or electricity, the liquid, electricity etc flows or travels along it:
A drain carries surplus water to the river.
The aim is for one wire to carry both television and telephone calls.
4

move something

[transitive] to cause something to move along or support something as it moves along:
This stretch of water carries a lot of shipping.
The bridge carries the main road over the railway.
Pollution was carried inland by the wind.
5

have with you

[transitive] to have something with you in your pocket, on your belt, in your bag etc everywhere you go:
I don't carry a handbag. I just carry money in my pocket.
All the soldiers carried rifles.
He says he's got to carry a knife to protect himself.
6

have a quality

[transitive] to have something as a particular quality:
Degree qualifications carry international recognition.
Few medical procedures carry no risk of any kind.
Older managers carry more authority in a crisis.
The plan is not likely to carry much weight with (=have much influence over) the authorities.
If the child believes in what she is saying, she will carry conviction (=make others believe what she says is true).
7

news/programmes

[transitive]TCN if a newspaper, a television or radio broadcast, or a website carries a piece of news, an advertisement etc, it prints it or broadcasts it:
The morning paper carried a story about demonstrations in New York and Washington D.C.
The national TV network carries religious programmes.
8

information

[transitive] if something carries information, the information is written on it:
All tobacco products must carry a health warning.
goods carrying the label 'Made in the USA'
9

be responsible

[transitive] to be responsible for doing something:
Each team member is expected to carry a fair share of the workload.
Which minister carries responsibility for the police?
Parents carry the burden of ensuring that children go to school.
10

shop

[transitive] if a shop carries goods, it has a supply of them for sale:
The sports shop carries a full range of equipment.
11

building

[transitive] if a wall etc carries something, it supports the weight of that thing:
These two columns carry the whole roof.
12

take somebody/something

[transitive] to take something or someone to a new place, point, or position
carry somebody/something to something
The president wanted to carry the war to the northern states.
Blair carried his party to victory in 1997.
carry somebody/something into something
Clinton carried his campaign into Republican areas.
13

disease

[transitive]MI if a person, animal, or insect carries a disease, they can pass it to other people or animals even if they are not ill themselves [↪ carrier]:
The disease is carried by a black fly which lives in the rivers.
Birds and monkeys can carry disease.
14

carry insurance/a guarantee etc

to have insurance etc:
All our products carry a 12-month guarantee.
15

be/get carried away

to be so excited, angry, interested etc that you are no longer really in control of what you do or say, or you forget everything else:
It's easy to get carried away when you can do so much with the graphics software.
16

be carried along (by something)

to become excited about something or determined to do something:
The crowd were carried along on a tide of enthusiasm.
You can be carried along by the atmosphere of an auction and spend more than you planned.
17

crime

[transitive] if a crime carries a particular punishment, that is the usual punishment for the crime:
Drink-driving should carry an automatic prison sentence.
Murder still carries the death penalty.
18

sound

[intransitive] if a sound carries, it goes a long way:
In the winter air, sounds carry clearly.
The songs of the whales carry through the water over long distances.
19

ball

[intransitive] if a ball carries a particular distance when it is thrown, hit, or kicked, it travels that distance
20

carry something in your head/mind

to remember information that you need, without writing it down:
Alice carried a map of the London Underground in her head.
21

tune

[transitive] to sing a tune using the correct notes:
I sang solos when I was six because I could carry a tune.
The highest voice carries the melody.
22

persuade

[transitive] to persuade a group of people to support you:
He had to carry a large majority of his colleagues to get the leadership.
Her appeal to common sense was what finally carried the day (=persuaded people to support her).
23

vote

be carried

if a suggestion, proposal etc is carried, most of the people at an official meeting vote for it and it is accepted:
The amendment was carried by 292 votes to 246.
The resolution was carried unanimously (=everyone agreed).
Those in favour of the motion raise your arm. Those against? The motion is carried (=proposal is accepted).
24

election

[transitive] American English if someone carries a state or local area in a US election, they win in that state or area:
Cuban Americans play an important role in whether he carries Florida in the fall campaign.
25

your body

[transitive always + adverb/preposition] to stand and move in a particular way, or to hold part of your body in a particular way:
He had a way of carrying his head on one side.
carry yourself
She carried herself straight and with confidence.
26

carry the can (for somebody/something)

British English informal to be the person who has to take the blame for something even if it was not their fault, or not their fault alone:
He has been left to carry the can for a decision he didn't make.
27

not enough effort

[transitive] if a group carries someone who is not doing enough work, they have to manage without the work that person should be doing:
The team can't afford to carry any weak players.
28

child

[intransitive and transitive] old-fashioned if a woman is carrying a child, she is pregnant
29

carry all/everything before you

literary to be completely successful in a struggle against other people
30

carry something too far/to extremes/to excess

to do or say too much about something:
I don't mind a joke, but this is carrying it too far.
31

weight

[transitive] to weigh a particular amount more than you should or than you did:
Joe carries only nine pounds more than when he was twenty.
32

carry a torch for somebody

to love someone romantically who does not love you:
He's been carrying a torch for your sister for years.
33

carry the torch of something

to support an important belief or tradition when other people do not:
Leaders in the mountains carried the torch of Greek independence.
34

as fast as his/her legs could carry him/her

as fast as possible:
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
35

adding numbers

[transitive] to put a number into the next row to the left when you are adding numbers together

carry something ↔ forward

phrasal verb
1 to succeed in making progress with something:
The new team have to carry the work forward.
2 to include an amount of money in a later set of figures or calculations

carry something ↔ off

phrasal verb
1 to do something difficult successfully:
I was flattered to be offered the job but wasn't sure if I could carry it off.
2 to win a prize:
a film that carried off three Oscars

carry on

phrasal verb
1 especially British English to continue doing something:
Sorry, I interrupted you. Please carry on.
carry on doing something
You'll have an accident if you carry on driving like that.
carry on with
I want to carry on with my course.
2 to continue moving:
He stopped and looked back, then carried on down the stairs.
Carry straight on until you get to the traffic lights.
3

carry on something

if you carry on a particular kind of work or activity, you do it or take part in it:
Mr Dean carried on his baking business until he retired.
It was so noisy it was hard to carry on a conversation.
4 spoken to talk in an annoying way
carry on about
I wish everyone would stop carrying on about it.
5 old-fashioned to have a sexual relationship with someone, when you should not:
Lucy confessed to carrying on behind her husband's back.
carry on with
She was carrying on with a neighbour.

carry something ↔ out

phrasal verb
1 to do something that needs to be organized and planned:
We need to carry out more research.
A survey is now being carried out nationwide.
Turn off the water supply before carrying out repairs.
2 to do something that you have said you will do or that someone has asked you to do:
Nicholson didn't carry out his threat to take legal action.
We carried out her instructions precisely.
Will the government carry out its promise to reform the law?

carry something ↔ over

phrasal verb
1 if something is carried over into a new situation, it continues to exist in the new situation:
The pain and violence of his childhood were carried over into his marriage.
2 to make an official arrangement to do something or use something at a later time:
Up to five days' holiday can be carried over from one year to the next.

carry somebody/something through

phrasal verb
1 to complete or finish something successfully, in spite of difficulties:
I'm determined to carry this through.
2

carry somebody through (something)

to help someone to manage during an illness or a difficult period:
Her confidence carried her through.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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