To carry means to hold and move something or someone from one place to another, to support a weight or load, to have something on your person, or to contain something. She always carries a small notebook to write down new vocabulary.
What Does Carry Mean?
Carry is one of the most productive and flexible verbs in the English language. Its core meaning — to physically transport something while holding or supporting it — is A2 level, but the verb extends into dozens of idiomatic, figurative, and phrasal uses that are central to B2 and C1 English.
At the most basic level, you carry something when you hold it and move with it: a bag, a baby, a tray of drinks. From there, carry broadens to structures, pipes, and signals that support or transmit something (a bridge carries traffic; a cable carries electricity), to abstract ideas (a plan carries risks; a crime carries a penalty), and to personal habits (carry an umbrella, carry a grudge).
Understanding carry's range — and especially its phrasal verbs (carry out, carry on, carry away, carry off) — is essential for moving from intermediate to advanced English fluency.
Etymology
Carry entered Middle English in the 14th century from Old Northern French carier, meaning to transport in a cart or vehicle. That word derived from Late Latin carriāre, from carrus — a Gaulish type of four-wheeled wagon. The same Latin root gives us car, cargo, carriage, and even career (originally a racecourse or road). Over time, the physical limitation to wheeled transport was dropped, and by the 15th century carry could describe any act of holding and moving something from one place to another.
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level & Usage note |
|---|---|
| She always carries a small notebook to write down new vocabulary. | A2 — have with you habitually |
| Can you help me carry these boxes up to the third floor? | B1 — physical transport, request |
| The bridge was built to carry lorries weighing up to 40 tonnes. | B1 — support a load (engineering context) |
| Working in a hospital carries a certain amount of emotional strain that staff must learn to manage. | B2 — carry = involve or entail (abstract) |
| The committee's recommendation carries considerable weight, but the final decision rests with the board of directors. | C1 — carry weight = have influence (formal/idiomatic) |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning & Example |
|---|---|
| carry out | to perform or complete a task — They carried out a full safety inspection. |
| carry on | to continue — Please carry on with your work. |
| carry weight | to have influence or importance — His word carries a lot of weight here. |
| carry a risk | to involve a danger — The operation carries a small risk of complications. |
| carry a penalty | to involve a punishment — Speeding carries a heavy fine. |
| carry luggage | to transport bags — Passengers may carry one piece of hand luggage. |
| carry a tune | to sing in pitch — She can't carry a tune at all! |
| carry away | to lose control of emotion — Don't get carried away — stay focused. |
| carry the day | to win an argument or vote — In the end, the reform proposal carried the day. |
| carry a message | to deliver or transmit information — The ambassador was asked to carry the message personally. |
Usage Notes
Key Points for Learners
- Spelling changes: carry → carried (past simple & past participle), carries (third person singular), carrying (present participle). When -y follows a consonant, change y to i before -ed and -es.
- Carry vs. bring vs. take: All three involve moving something, but direction matters. Carry is neutral. Bring moves something towards the speaker or a destination. Take moves something away. Compare: Carry the box to the door / Bring the box here / Take the box outside.
- Carry out is the standard British English phrase for performing experiments, tasks, instructions, or investigations. It is more formal than do and very common in academic and professional writing.
- Get carried away is an idiomatic passive construction meaning to become so excited or absorbed that you lose restraint. It does not have a literal spatial meaning.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
He bringed his laptop to the meeting. (wrong verb choice and wrong form)
He carried his laptop to the meeting. (neutral transport — carry is correct here)
She carryed the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
She carried the heavy suitcase up the stairs. (y → i before -ed)
The policy is carrying a big risk of failure.
The policy carries a big risk of failure. (stative use — simple present, not continuous)
They did out the research in just two weeks.
They carried out the research in just two weeks. (phrasal verb: carry out)