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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

carry.

To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈkæɹ.i/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkaɹ.ɪj/British, Southern, Standard/ˈkæɹ.i//ˈkɛɹ.i/
  1. To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting.

    transitive
  2. To notionally transfer from one place (such as a country, book, or column) to another.

    transitive
    to carry the war from Greece into Asia
    to carry an account to the ledger
  3. To convey by extension or continuance; to extend.

    transitive
    The builders are going to carry the chimney through the roof.
    They would have carried the road ten miles further, but ran out of materials.
  4. To move; to convey using force

    archaic · transitive
  5. To lead or guide.

    transitive
  6. To stock or supply (something); to have in store.

    transitive
    The corner drugstore doesn’t carry his favorite brand of aspirin.
  7. To adopt (something); take (something) over.

    transitive
    I think I can carry Smith’s work while she is out.
  8. To adopt or resolve on, especially in a deliberative assembly

    transitive
    The court carries that motion.
  9. In an addition, to transfer the quantity in excess of what is countable in the units in a column to the column immediately to the left in order to be added there.

    transitive
    Five and nine are fourteen; carry the one to the tens place.
  10. To have, hold, possess or maintain (something).

    transitive
    Always carry sufficient insurance to protect against a loss.
  11. To be transmitted; to travel.

    intransitive
    The sound of the bells carried for miles on the wind.
  12. To insult, to diss.

    slang · transitive
  13. To capture a ship by coming alongside and boarding.

    transitive
  14. To transport (the ball) whilst maintaining possession.

    transitive
  15. For the ball, having been hit in the air, to reach a fielder without touching the ground (whether or not the fielder catches it).

    intransitive
  16. To have on one’s person.

    transitive
    She always carries a purse.
    Marsupials carry their young in a pouch
  17. To do the job of a caddy.

    intransitive
    I always carry for Mr. Pendergast.
  18. To be pregnant (with).

    The doctor said she’s carrying twins.
  19. To have propulsive power; to propel.

    A gun or mortar carries well.
  20. To hold the head; said of a horse.

    to carry well, i.e. to hold the head high, with arching neck
  21. To have earth or frost stick to the feet when running, as a hare.

  22. To bear or uphold successfully, especially through conflict, for example a leader or principle

  23. To succeed in (e.g. a contest); to succeed in; to win.

    The Tories carried the election.
  24. To get possession of by force; to capture.

    obsolete
  25. To contain; to comprise; have a particular aspect; to show or exhibit

  26. To bear (oneself); to behave or conduct.

    reflexive
  27. To bear the charges or burden of holding or having, as stocks, merchandise, etc., from one time to another.

    to carry a life insurance
    A merchant is carrying a large stock.
  28. To have a weapon on one's person; to be armed.

    intransitive
  29. (transitive or, rarely, intransitive) To be disproportionately responsible for a team's success or for counteracting teammates' underperformance.

    Despite zero goals and zero assists, she still stands out for carrying her team's defense.
    The other outfielders had no hustle, but fortunately the centerfielder carried them.
  30. To physically transport (in the general sense, not necessarily by lifting)

    Southern-US
    Will you carry me to town?
  31. To bear a firearm, such as a gun.

    Canada · US
    A holster can help you carry in confidence, knowing that your weapon is secure and close at hand.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English carien, from Anglo-Norman carier (modern French charrier); from a derivative of Latin carrus (“four-wheeled baggage wagon”), ultimately of Gaulish origin. Compare also Middle English cairen (“to go, bring carry”), whence Modern English cair, with which it was confused.

noun/ˈkæɹ.i/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkaɹ.ɪj/British, Southern, Standard/ˈkæɹ.i//ˈkɛɹ.i/
  1. A manner of transporting or lifting something; the grip or position in which something is carried.

    Adjust your carry from time to time so that you don’t tire too quickly.
  2. A tract of land over which boats or goods are carried between two bodies of navigable water; a portage.

  3. The bit or digit that is carried in an addition operation.

  4. The benefit or cost of owning an asset over time.

    The carry on this trade is 25 basis points per annum.
  5. The distance travelled by the ball when struck, until it hits the ground.

  6. Carried interest.

  7. The sky; cloud-drift.

    UK · dialectal
  8. Something or someone regarded as disproportionately responsible for the success of a playthrough, match, round, etc.

    especially · slang
Where this word comes from

From Middle English carien, from Anglo-Norman carier (modern French charrier); from a derivative of Latin carrus (“four-wheeled baggage wagon”), ultimately of Gaulish origin. Compare also Middle English cairen (“to go, bring carry”), whence Modern English cair, with which it was confused.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.