Carry and take are usually used to say that someone moves a person or thing from one place to another. When you use carry, you are showing that the person or thing is quite heavy.
You can also say that a ship, train, or lorry is carrying goods of a particular kind. Similarly you can say that a plane, ship, train, or bus is carrying passengers.
Take can be used in a similar way, but only if you say where someone or something is being taken to. You can say, for example, 'The ship was taking crude oil to Rotterdam', but you can't just say 'The ship was taking crude oil'.
You can say that a smaller vehicle such as a car takes you somewhere.
Be Careful!
Don't say that a small vehicle 'carries' you somewhere.
Imperative |
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carry |
carry |
Noun | 1. | ![]() transfer, transferral, transportation, conveyance, transport - the act of moving something from one location to another backpacking, packing - carrying something in a pack on the back; "the backpacking of oxygen is essential for astronauts" piggyback - the act of carrying something piggyback fireman's carry - the act of carrying a person over your shoulder portage - carrying boats and supplies overland porterage - the transportation of burdens by porters |
Verb | 1. | ![]() carry - pass on a communication; "The news was carried to every village in the province" shoulder - carry a burden, either real or metaphoric; "shoulder the burden" port - carry or hold with both hands diagonally across the body, especially of weapons; "port a rifle" carry - propel or give impetus to; "The sudden gust of air propelled the ball to the other side of the fence" bear - move while holding up or supporting; "Bear gifts"; "bear a heavy load"; "bear news"; "bearing orders" bucket - carry in a bucket return - make a return; "return a kickback" pipe in - transport to a destiny through pipes; "We have to pipe in oil" port - carry, bear, convey, or bring; "The small canoe could be ported easily" porter - carry luggage or supplies; "They portered the food up Mount Kilimanjaro for the tourists" pack - carry, as on one's back; "Pack your tents to the top of the mountain" cart - transport something in a cart fly - transport by aeroplane; "We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America" haul - transport in a vehicle; "haul stones from the quarry in a truck"; "haul vegetables to the market" move, displace - cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant" chariot - transport in a chariot |
2. | carry - have with oneself; have on one's person; "She always takes an umbrella"; "I always carry money"; "She packs a gun when she goes into the mountains" carry - have or possess something abstract; "I carry her image in my mind's eye"; "I will carry the secret to my grave"; "I carry these thoughts in the back of my head"; "I carry a lot of life insurance" | |
3. | ![]() convey, express, carry - serve as a means for expressing something; "The painting of Mary carries motherly love"; "His voice carried a lot of anger" bring, convey, take - take something or somebody with oneself somewhere; "Bring me the box from the other room"; "Take these letters to the boss"; "This brings me to the main point" wash up - carry somewhere (of water or current or waves); "The tide washed up the corpse" pipe in - bring in through pipes; "Music was piped into the offices" bring in - transmit; "The microphone brought in the sounds from the room next to mine" retransmit - transmit again carry - be conveyed over a certain distance; "Her voice carries very well in this big opera house" | |
4. | carry - serve as a means for expressing something; "The painting of Mary carries motherly love"; "His voice carried a lot of anger" communicate, intercommunicate - transmit thoughts or feelings; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" | |
5. | carry - bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of; "His efforts carried the entire project"; "How many credits is this student carrying?"; "We carry a very large mortgage" hold up, support, sustain, hold - be the physical support of; carry the weight of; "The beam holds up the roof"; "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam"; "What's holding that mirror?" carry - compensate for a weaker partner or member by one's own performance; "I resent having to carry her all the time" carry - keep up with financial support; "The Federal Government carried the province for many years" | |
6. | ![]() sling - hold or carry in a sling; "he cannot button his shirt with his slinged arm" stoop - carry oneself, often habitually, with head, shoulders, and upper back bent forward; "The old man was stooping but he could walk around without a cane" piggyback - support on the back and shoulders; "He piggybacked her child so she could see the show" | |
7. | ![]() include - have as a part, be made up out of; "The list includes the names of many famous writers" contain, hold, take - be capable of holding or containing; "This box won't take all the items"; "The flask holds one gallon" retain - hold back within; "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water" | |
8. | carry - extend to a certain degree; "carry too far"; "She carries her ideas to the extreme" effect - act so as to bring into existence; "effect a change" | |
9. | carry - continue or extend; "The civil war carried into the neighboring province"; "The disease extended into the remote mountain provinces" continue - exist over a prolonged period of time; "The bad weather continued for two more weeks" prolong, protract, draw out, extend - lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer; "We prolonged our stay"; "She extended her visit by another day"; "The meeting was drawn out until midnight" extend - prolong the time allowed for payment of; "extend the loan" | |
10. | carry - be necessarily associated with or result in or involve; "This crime carries a penalty of five years in prison" carry - have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence; "This new washer carries a two year guarantee"; "The loan carries a high interest rate"; "this undertaking carries many dangers"; "She carries her mother's genes"; "These bonds carry warrants"; "The restaurant carries an unusual name" | |
11. | carry - win in an election; "The senator carried his home state" win - be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious; "He won the Gold Medal in skating"; "Our home team won"; "Win the game" carry - be successful in; "She lost the game but carried the match" | |
12. | carry - include, as on a list; "How many people are carried on the payroll?" include - consider as part of something; "I include you in the list of culprits" | |
13. | ![]() carry, bear, hold - support or hold in a certain manner; "She holds her head high"; "He carried himself upright" fluster - be flustered; behave in a confused manner act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" put forward, assert - insist on having one's opinions and rights recognized; "Women should assert themselves more!" deal - behave in a certain way towards others; "He deals fairly with his employees" walk around - behave in a certain manner or have certain properties; "He walks around with his nose in the air"; "She walks around with this strange boyfriend" | |
14. | carry - have on hand; "Do you carry kerosene heaters?" | |
15. | carry - include as the content; broadcast or publicize; "We ran the ad three times"; "This paper carries a restaurant review"; "All major networks carried the press conference" disseminate, pass around, circulate, diffuse, broadcast, circularise, circularize, spread, disperse, propagate, distribute - cause to become widely known; "spread information"; "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news" | |
16. | carry - propel, "Carry the ball"; "dribble the ball" hit - cause to move by striking; "hit a ball" | |
17. | carry - pass on a communication; "The news was carried to every village in the province" communicate, pass along, put across, pass on, pass - transmit information ; "Please communicate this message to all employees"; "pass along the good news" | |
18. | carry - have as an inherent or characteristic feature or have as a consequence; "This new washer carries a two year guarantee"; "The loan carries a high interest rate"; "this undertaking carries many dangers"; "She carries her mother's genes"; "These bonds carry warrants"; "The restaurant carries an unusual name" carry - be necessarily associated with or result in or involve; "This crime carries a penalty of five years in prison" | |
19. | carry - be conveyed over a certain distance; "Her voice carries very well in this big opera house" channel, transmit, carry, impart, conduct, convey - transmit or serve as the medium for transmission; "Sound carries well over water"; "The airwaves carry the sound"; "Many metals conduct heat" range - have a range; be capable of projecting over a certain distance, as of a gun; "This gun ranges over two miles" | |
20. | carry - keep up with financial support; "The Federal Government carried the province for many years" maintain, sustain, keep - supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's little to earn and many to keep" carry - bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of; "His efforts carried the entire project"; "How many credits is this student carrying?"; "We carry a very large mortgage" | |
21. | carry - have or possess something abstract; "I carry her image in my mind's eye"; "I will carry the secret to my grave"; "I carry these thoughts in the back of my head"; "I carry a lot of life insurance" | |
22. | carry - be equipped with (a mast or sail); "This boat can only carry a small sail" | |
23. | carry - win approval or support for; "Carry all before one"; "His speech did not sway the voters" carry - win in an election; "The senator carried his home state" | |
24. | carry - compensate for a weaker partner or member by one's own performance; "I resent having to carry her all the time" carry - bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of; "His efforts carried the entire project"; "How many credits is this student carrying?"; "We carry a very large mortgage" counterbalance, even off, even out, even up, compensate, correct, make up - adjust for; "engineers will work to correct the effects or air resistance" | |
25. | carry - take further or advance; "carry a cause" | |
26. | carry - have on the surface or on the skin; "carry scars" bear - have; "bear a resemblance"; "bear a signature" | |
27. | carry - capture after a fight; "The troops carried the town after a brief fight" appropriate, conquer, seize, capture - take possession of by force, as after an invasion; "the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants"; "The army seized the town"; "The militia captured the castle" | |
28. | carry - transfer (entries) from one account book to another carry - transfer (a number, cipher, or remainder) to the next column or unit's place before or after, in addition or multiplication; "put down 5 and carry 2" transfer - move from one place to another; "transfer the data"; "transmit the news"; "transfer the patient to another hospital" | |
29. | carry - transfer (a number, cipher, or remainder) to the next column or unit's place before or after, in addition or multiplication; "put down 5 and carry 2" | |
30. | carry - pursue a line of scent or be a bearer; "the dog was taught to fetch and carry" follow - to travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum" | |
31. | carry - bear (a crop); "this land does not carry olives" carry - be able to feed; "This land will carry ten cows to the acre" | |
32. | carry - propel or give impetus to; "The sudden gust of air propelled the ball to the other side of the fence" | |
33. | carry - drink alcohol without showing ill effects; "He can hold his liquor"; "he had drunk more than he could carry" | |
34. | carry - be able to feed; "This land will carry ten cows to the acre" nourish, nurture, sustain - provide with nourishment; "We sustained ourselves on bread and water"; "This kind of food is not nourishing for young children" carry - bear (a crop); "this land does not carry olives" | |
35. | carry - have a certain range; "This rifle carries for 3,000 feet" carry - cover a certain distance or advance beyond; "The drive carried to the green" | |
36. | carry - cover a certain distance or advance beyond; "The drive carried to the green" golf, golf game - a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes carry - have a certain range; "This rifle carries for 3,000 feet" go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" | |
37. | carry - secure the passage or adoption (of bills and motions); "The motion carried easily" carry - be successful in; "She lost the game but carried the match" obtain - come into possession of; "How did you obtain the visa?" | |
38. | carry - be successful in; "She lost the game but carried the match" win - be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious; "He won the Gold Medal in skating"; "Our home team won"; "Win the game" carry - win in an election; "The senator carried his home state" carry - secure the passage or adoption (of bills and motions); "The motion carried easily" | |
39. | carry - sing or play against other voices or parts; "He cannot carry a tune" | |
40. | ![]() expect - look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March" |