What does "carry" mean?
A manner of transporting or lifting something; the grip or position in which something is carried.
Carry
/ˈkæɹ.ɪ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A manner of transporting or lifting something; the grip or position in which something is carried.
- Grammar: carry is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bear, convey, transport, accept.
- Useful contrasts: conceal, dray, drop.
- Usage evidence: Your undaunted spirit will carry you through.
How to use "carry"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "carry" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "carry" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "carry" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "carry" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "carry" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bear" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "carry", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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 the act of carrying something wordnet
- 3 A tract of land over which boats or goods are carried between two bodies of navigable water; a portage.
"Undrowned, unducked, as safe from the perils of the broad lake as we had come out of the defiles of the rapids, we landed at the carry below the dam at the lake’s outlet."
- 4 The bit or digit that is carried in an addition operation.
"On paper, simply add the carry to the next addition; that is, $B2 + $9C + 1. That’s fine for paper, but how is it done by computer?"
- 5 The benefit or cost of owning an asset over time.
"The carry on this trade is 25 basis points per annum."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 The distance travelled by the ball when struck, until it hits the ground.
- 7 Carried interest.
- 8 The sky; cloud-drift. UK, dialectal
Verb
- 1 To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting. transitive
""By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "for it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler.""
- 2 behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself wordnet
- 3 To notionally transfer from one place (such as a country, book, or column) to another. transitive
"to carry the war from Greece into Asia"
- 4 be pregnant with wordnet
- 5 To convey by extension or continuance; to extend. transitive
"The builders are going to carry the chimney through the roof."
Show 65 more definitions
- 6 continue or extend wordnet
- 7 To move; to convey using force archaic, transitive
- 8 include, as on a list wordnet
- 9 To lead or guide. transitive
"Go, carry Sir John Falstaff to the Fleet."
- 10 sing or play against other voices or parts wordnet
- 11 To stock or supply (something); to have in store. transitive
"The corner drugstore doesn’t carry his favorite brand of aspirin."
- 12 serve as a means for expressing something wordnet
- 13 To adopt (something); take (something) over. transitive
"I think I can carry Smith’s work while she is out."
- 14 pass on a communication wordnet
- 15 To adopt or resolve on, especially in a deliberative assembly transitive
"The court carries that motion."
- 16 be successful in wordnet
- 17 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."
- 18 win in an election wordnet
- 19 To have, hold, possess or maintain (something). transitive
"Always carry sufficient insurance to protect against a loss."
- 20 secure the passage or adoption (of bills and motions) wordnet
- 21 To be transmitted; to travel. intransitive
"The sound of the bells carried for miles on the wind."
- 22 cover a certain distance or advance beyond wordnet
- 23 To insult, to diss. slang, transitive
- 24 have a certain range wordnet
- 25 To capture a ship by coming alongside and boarding. transitive
- 26 be able to feed wordnet
- 27 To transport (the ball) whilst maintaining possession. transitive
"Nani collected the ball on the halfway line, drifted past Bryan Ruiz, and carried the ball unchallenged 50 yards down the left before picking out Welbeck for a crisp finish from seven yards."
- 28 drink alcohol without showing ill effects wordnet
- 29 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
- 30 bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of wordnet
- 31 To have on one’s person. transitive
"She always carries a purse."
- 32 propel or give impetus to wordnet
- 33 To be pregnant (with).
"The doctor said she’s carrying twins."
- 34 propel wordnet
- 35 To have propulsive power; to propel.
"A gun or mortar carries well."
- 36 move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body wordnet
- 37 To hold the head; said of a horse.
"to carry well, i.e. to hold the head high, with arching neck"
- 38 support or hold in a certain manner wordnet
- 39 To have earth or frost stick to the feet when running, as a hare.
"The frost[…]caused the fallows and seeds to ‘carry’ a good deal, and they could only hunt very slowly."
- 40 bear (a crop) wordnet
- 41 To bear or uphold successfully, especially through conflict, for example a leader or principle
"the carrying of our main point"
- 42 include as the content; broadcast or publicize wordnet
- 43 To succeed in (e.g. a contest); to succeed in; to win.
"The Tories carried the election."
- 44 pursue a line of scent or be a bearer wordnet
- 45 To get possession of by force; to capture. obsolete
"The Town [of Bulloign] was both well fortified, and well manned; yet it was distressed, and ready for an Assault: which if it had been given (as was thought) would have cost much blood; but yet the Town would have been carried in the end."
- 46 transfer (a number, cipher, or remainder) to the next column or unit's place before or after, in addition or multiplication wordnet
- 47 To contain; to comprise; have a particular aspect; to show or exhibit
"Things of little value carry great importance."
- 48 transmit or serve as the medium for transmission wordnet
- 49 To bear (oneself); to behave or conduct. reflexive
"He carried himself so insolently in the house, and out of the house, to all persons, that he became odious."
- 50 transfer (entries) from one account book to another wordnet
- 51 To bear the charges or burden of holding or having, as stocks, merchandise, etc., from one time to another.
"to carry a life insurance"
- 52 have on hand wordnet
- 53 To have a weapon on one's person; to be armed. intransitive
"Nobody looked like they were carrying, other than those who had knives strapped to their belts, although with Alaska's new concealed-carry permit, available to anyone who trundled themselves down to the local police station to take the class, someone in this crowd could have a rocket launcher stuffed into their boot and she'd never know it."
- 54 capture after a fight wordnet
- 55 (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."
- 56 have on the surface or on the skin wordnet
- 57 To physically transport (in the general sense, not necessarily by lifting) Southern-US
"Will you carry me to town?"
- 58 take further or advance wordnet
- 59 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."
- 60 compensate for a weaker partner or member by one's own performance wordnet
- 61 extend to a certain degree wordnet
- 62 win approval or support for wordnet
- 63 be equipped with (a mast or sail) wordnet
- 64 be necessarily associated with or result in or involve wordnet
- 65 have or possess something abstract wordnet
- 66 keep up with financial support wordnet
- 67 contain or hold; have within wordnet
- 68 have with oneself; have on one's person wordnet
- 69 be conveyed over a certain distance wordnet
- 70 have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Your undaunted spirit will carry you through."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "carry"?
Common synonyms include: bear, convey, transport, accept, accomplish, acquit.
How do you use "carry" in a sentence?
Your undaunted spirit will carry you through.
How do you pronounce "carry"?
Pronounced /ˈkæɹ.ɪ/.
Etymology
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.