What does "convey" mean?
To move (something) from one place to another.
Convey
/kənˈveɪ/ verb
verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To move (something) from one place to another.
- Grammar: convey is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: carry, communicate, conduct, express.
- Useful contrasts: preaching, conceal, withhold.
- Usage evidence: It is difficult to convey the meaning exactly.
How to use "convey"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "convey" 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 "convey" 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 "convey" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "convey" 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 "convey" is acting as verb 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 "carry" 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 "convey", 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
Verb
- 1 To move (something) from one place to another.
"Air conveys sound. Water is conveyed through the pipe."
- 2 (of information) make known; pass on wordnet
- 3 To take or carry (someone) from one place to another. dated
"Convey me to my bed, then to my grave: Love they to live that love and honour have."
- 4 serve as a means for expressing something wordnet
- 5 To communicate; to make known; to portray.
"to convey an impression; to convey information"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 go or come after and bring or take back wordnet
- 7 To transfer legal rights (to).
"He conveyed ownership of the company to his daughter."
- 8 take something or somebody with oneself somewhere wordnet
- 9 To manage with privacy; to carry out. obsolete
"1557, uncredited translator, A Mery Dialogue by Erasmus, London: Antony Kytson, I shall so conuey my matters, that he shall dysclose all together hym selfe, what busynesse is betwene you […]"
- 10 transmit or serve as the medium for transmission wordnet
- 11 To carry or take away secretly; to steal; to thieve. obsolete
"Suppose you are good at the lift, who be more cunning then we women, in that we are more trusted, for they little suspect vs, and we haue as close conueyance as you men, though you haue Cloakes, we haue skirts of gownes, handbaskets, the crownes of our hattes, our plackardes, and for a need, false bagges vnder our smockes, wherein we can conuey more closely then you."
- 12 transmit a title or property wordnet
- 13 transfer to another wordnet
Example
"It is difficult to convey the meaning exactly."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "convey"?
Common synonyms include: carry, communicate, conduct, express, impart, abalienate.
How do you use "convey" in a sentence?
It is difficult to convey the meaning exactly.
How do you pronounce "convey"?
Pronounced /kənˈveɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English conveien, from Old French conveier (French convoyer), from Vulgar Latin *convio, from Classical Latin via (“way”). Compare convoy.