carry */*/*/

UK [ˈkærɪ] / US [ˈkerɪ] verb
Word forms "carry":
present tense I/you/we/they carry he/she/it carries present participle carrying past tense carried past participle carried

1) [transitive] to hold someone or something using your hands, arms, or body and take them somewhere

Do you mind carrying this box for me?

Luke was carrying a bag over his shoulder.

Sarah carried her cup of coffee back to her desk.

a) to have something with you, usually in your pocket or bag

I never carry much cash with me.

British police officers don't normally carry guns.

b) to take or deliver a message to someone

They carried the news of the massacre back to their villages.

c) if water or air carries something or someone, it takes them with it as it moves along

The oil was carried by the tide onto the shore.

d) if a vehicle carries someone or something somewhere, it takes them there

A plane carrying 120 passengers has crashed in India.

e) if a road, pipe, or wire carries something along it, that thing moves or flows along it

a cable carrying electricity to nearby homes

2)

a) [transitive] to have a disease and be capable of infecting someone else with it

b) to have a gene that causes a particular biological characteristic to be passed on

3) [transitive] if you carry a feeling with you, you have it in your mind all the time

He would carry the guilt with him forever.

4) [transitive] to publish or broadcast a news story

All the papers carried the story the next day.

5) [transitive] if something carries a guarantee, it has it

All our products carry a full 25-year guarantee.

6) [transitive] to do some of the work that someone else should be doing so that they can continue to do their job

His colleagues rapidly grew annoyed at having to carry him.

7) [transitive] if a crime carries a particular punishment, that is the punishment people will receive for committing it

Murder carries a compulsory sentence of life imprisonment.

8) [transitive] if something carries a message or warning, it has it written on it

Packets of cigarettes must carry a government health warning.

9) [transitive, usually passive] if a motion (= a formal suggestion of policy) is carried, it is accepted officially because the majority of people have voted for it

10) [transitive] if walls or posts carry part of a building or structure, they support its weight

11) [transitive] if something carries a danger, it might cause something bad to happen

The treatment carries less risk than some medications.

12) [transitive] to make it possible for someone to achieve something

His determination to succeed carried him to the top of his profession.

13) [transitive] to persuade a number of people to support your ideas

She seemed to carry the whole audience with her.

14) [transitive] if you carry responsibility or blame for something, you accept it

The government must carry the blame for this terrible tragedy.

15) [transitive] if a shop carries goods or products, it has them for sale

We are urging shops not to carry goods made with child labour.

16) [intransitive] if a smell or sound carries, it can be smelt or heard over a distance

His voice doesn't carry very well.

17) [transitive] to do or develop something to a particular point or level

Can we trust him to carry the task to completion?

Carried to extremes, such behaviour can be self-destructive.

I know we all need to be careful with our money, but some people carry it too far!

18) [transitive] spoken to add a number to the bottom of the next row of numbers on the left when adding rows of numbers

19) [transitive] old-fashioned if a woman is carrying a child, she is pregnant

20) [transitive] American to win an election in a particular state or district

A Democrat has not carried Arizona since 1948.

•

be carrying five stone/a few pounds/a little bit etc — to weigh more than you should by a particular amount

He was in his mid-forties, I guessed, and carrying a bit of extra weight.

carry all/everything before you — to be extremely successful and defeat all your opponents

carry a (heavy) load/burden — to have responsibility for something difficult or unpleasant

He carries the heavy burden of leadership.

carry something in your head/mind — to remember information correctly without having to write it down

- as fast as your legs can carry you

- carry the can

- carry conviction

- carry a torch for someone

- carry a tune

- carry weight

- carry yourself

- get carried away

Phrasal verbs:

- carry forward

- carry off

- carry on

- carry out

- carry over

- carry through

See:

day