Carry Carrying Carried I ˈkæri Support Weight Somebody/Something

• he was carrying a large bag.
• to carry a sign/banner/flag
• the plane was carrying 122 passengers and five crew.
• she carried her baby in her arms.

carry

Verb Forms

1. to support the weight of somebody/something and take them or it from place to place; to take somebody/something from one place to another
• He was carrying a large bag.
• to carry a sign/banner/flag
• The plane was carrying 122 passengers and five crew.
• She carried her baby in her arms.
• The injured were carried away on stretchers.
• a train carrying commuters to work

Extra Examples

• A train carrying hundreds of commuters was derailed this morning.
• He carried her on his back for over five miles.
• He was carrying a battered suitcase.
• How are we going to get this home? It's too heavy to carry.
• Several of the ships carrying troops to the area were torpedoed.
• Some of the protesters were carrying placards.
• The boat can carry up to five people.
• The little girl was exhausted and wanted to be carried.
• The truck was carrying illegal drugs worth up to $2 million.
• Women here have to carry water two miles from the nearest well.
2. to have something with you and take it wherever you go
• to carry a weapon/knife
• Police in many countries carry guns.
• I never carry much money on me.

Extra Examples

• I always carry my diary with me.
• I don't like carrying a lot of money around.
• He carries around an ancient old blanket.
3. to contain and direct the flow of water, electricity, etc.
• a pipeline carrying oil
• The veins carry blood to the heart.
• Canals were built to carry water from the Snake River to Milner Dam in 1905.

Extra Examples

• Blood vessels carry blood to every part of the body.
• The heated air is carried by flues to the walls.
• The pipelines carry oil across Siberia.
4. if a person, an insect, etc. carries a disease, they have already caught it and might spread it to others although they might not become ill themselves
• Ticks can carry a nasty disease which affects humans.
5. to be able to remember something
6. to support the weight of something
• A road bridge has to carry a lot of traffic.
• The roof is designed to carry huge loads of snow.
7. to accept responsibility for something; to suffer the results of something
• He is carrying the department (= it is only working because of his efforts).
• Their group was targeted to carry the burden of job losses.
• She carries a full load of classes while also serving as department head.
8. to have something as a quality or feature
• Her speech carried the ring of authority.
• Each bike carries a ten-year guarantee.
9. to have something as a result
• Crimes of violence carry heavy penalties.
• The charge carries a maximum sentence of ten years.
• Being a combat sport, karate carries with it the risk of injury.
10. if something that is thrown, kicked, etc. carries a particular distance, it travels that distance before stopping
• The fullback's kick carried 50 metres into the crowd.
11. if a sound carries, it can be heard a long distance away
12. to take something/somebody to a particular point or in a particular direction
• The war was carried into enemy territory.
• Her abilities carried her to the top of her profession.
13. to approve of something by more people voting for it than against it
• The resolution was carried by 340 votes to 210.
14. to win the support or sympathy of somebody; to persuade people to accept your argument
• His moving speech was enough to carry the audience.
• She nodded in agreement, and he saw he had carried his point.
15. to have a particular label attached; to give a particular message or piece of information
• Cigarettes carry a health warning.
• All the marketing carries a consistent message of quality and reliability.
16. if a newspaper, broadcast, etc. carries a particular story, it publishes or broadcasts it
17. if a shop carries a particular item, it has it for sale
• We carry a range of educational software.
• We do carry green tea, but we don't have any (in stock) right now.
18. to be pregnant with somebody
• She was carrying twins.
19. to hold or move your head or body in a particular way
• to carry yourself well
20. to add a number to the next column on the left when adding up numbers, for example when the numbers add up to more than ten
21. as quickly as you can
22. to get very excited or lose control of your feelings
• I got carried away and started shouting at the television.
23. to be completely successful
24. to take responsibility for getting something done
• My co-worker was sick, so I had to carry the ball.
25. to accept the blame for something, especially when it is not your fault
26. to be successful against somebody/something
• Despite strong opposition, the ruling party carried the day.
• Teamwork and persistence can still win the day.
27. to continue doing something beyond reasonable limits
28. to be in love with somebody, especially somebody who does not love you in return
29. to have influence with somebody
• My views don't carry much weight with the boss.
30. to do a lot of little jobs for somebody as if you were their servant
• Most of her day was spent fetching and carrying for her family.
• She expected him to do all the fetching and carrying.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French carier, based on Latin carrus ‘wheeled vehicle’.