What does carry mean?
"Carry" is one of English's most versatile verbs, at its core meaning to hold and move something while supporting its weight — a person, a bag, a burden. From this concrete sense it extends naturally into figurative territory: a wire carries current, a rumor carries through a crowd, a disease is carried by insects, and a person may carry guilt, responsibility, or authority. It also covers supporting loads (beams carry walls), stocking goods (stores carry brands), conveying oneself with a certain manner (she carries herself well), and winning votes or territory (a motion was carried). As a noun, carry denotes the act of transporting or the distance a projectile or ball travels. Its phrasal forms are essential to everyday speech: carry on means continue, carry out means perform or complete, and carry off means succeed despite difficulty. Rooted in Old North French carier, from Latin carrus (a wheeled vehicle), it belongs to the same family as car, cargo, and cart.
To support and move a person or thing from one place to another while bearing its weight; more broadly, to convey, transmit, sustain, or bear something such as sound, disease, responsibility, or an idea.
"He carried the sleeping child up to bed."
Extremely common in both literal and figurative contexts; numerous phrasal forms (carry on, carry out, carry off) have their own distinct meanings.
The act of carrying something, or the distance a thrown or propelled object, projectile, or sound travels before falling silent or landing.
"The golfer's drive had a carry of over 250 yards."
As a noun, the plural refers to multiple instances of carrying or multiple distances covered by a throw or shot.
"The quarterback recorded several long carries during the game."
Every time you carry something, you're using a word that rode into English from French — and it shares deep roots with 'car', 'cargo', and even 'chariot'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of carry
The word carry entered Middle English around the late thirteenth century from Anglo-Norman and Old North French carier, itself derived from Late Latin carrare, based on Latin carrus, a two-wheeled Gallic wagon. This same Latin root gave English the closely related words car, cargo, cart, carriage, and chariot. Over centuries, carry broadened from physically moving goods by vehicle to any form of bearing, transmitting, or sustaining, acquiring rich idiomatic use along the way.
Related word forms
How carry is actually used
Highly versatile verb used in both literal and figurative contexts across formal and informal registers. In sports, 'carry' has specialized meanings (e.g., in American football). Phrasal verbs like 'carry on', 'carry out', and 'carry off' each have distinct idiomatic senses. British English uses 'carry on' commonly to mean 'continue', which is standard in both regions.
Easily confused with carry
Carry means to transport or bear something, while curry is either a spiced dish or a verb meaning to groom a horse — they differ by only one vowel but are unrelated in meaning.
Cary is not an English word but a proper noun (a name or place), whereas carry is the common verb of transporting.