carry on

present singular third person carries on · participle present carrying on · participle past carried on · past carried on

1. idiomaticintransitiveTo continue or proceed as before.

   I’ll be gone for a few days, but I hope you will carry on in my absence.

2. idiomatictransitiveTo continue, maintain or pursue (an activity or enterprise).

   Carry on the good work.

   3 more examples

   to carry on commerce in a market

   It is difficult to carry on a conversation with so many distractions.

   Around 1825, however, prior to the main shift, the major ports in Kwangtung and Fukien from which trade was carried on with Siam (see Maps 2, 3, 4) were (1) Canton and Chiang-men in the Cantonese emigrant area,[…]

   1957, G. William Skinner, “Open Doors and Open Spaces: Chinese Migration and Population Growth to 1917”, in Chinese Society in Thailand: An Analytical History, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, →OCLC, pages 41–42

3. idiomaticintransitiveTo persist, persevere.

   keep calm and carry on

   4 more examples

   Near-synonyms: keep on, hang in, hang on, keep on keeping on

   He carried on a long conversation with the dragoman in Turkish, the upshot of which was that he would give me a "buyuruldu" or special order to go to Sivas, and would provide an escort if the British Consul would send a written guarantee that I was a bona fide traveller.

   1897, Charles Clive Bigham Mersey, A ride through western Asia, London, New York: Macmillan, →OCLC, page 18

   The Schynige Platte Railway carries on its traffic with no more than four electric locomotives (with one steam locomotive in reserve).

   1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 755

   In his favour, Beeching declared that he supported carrying on with the existing modernisation projects, but that the rest of the business needed root and branch reform.

   2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 52

   Synonyms: keep on, hang in, hang on, keep on keeping on

4. idiomaticintransitiveTo talk continuously or prolongedly (about something), often in an excessively excited way.

   Near-synonym: go on

   1 more example

   He’s always carrying on about his stupid aquarium.

   Synonyms: go on

5. idiomaticintransitiveTo act or behave; especially, to misbehave so as to attract attention; to make a fuss; to behave ostentatiously.

   I really wish you wouldn't carry on like that in public!

   1 more example

   I could hear some protestors hollering, but I wasn't close enough to make out what was happening. What were they carrying on about?

   Synonyms: see misbehave § Synonyms

6. idiomaticintransitiveTo have an illicit sexual or flirtatious relationship.

   I thought he was my friend, but all the time he was carrying on with my wife!

present singular third person carries on · participle present carrying on · participle past carried on · past carried on

1. idiomaticintransitivetransitiveTo take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.

   Will you be checking any bags, or just carrying on?

   2 more examples

   You may only carry on items that are smaller than a certain size.

   You may carry them on if they fit within the limits.

plural carry ons

1. alternativealternative spelling of carry-on