carry through

verb

To manage to execute; to perform successfully, all the way to the end.

“It is an old tradition carried through into the information age.”

Meanings

verbcarry through (third-person singular simple present carries through, present participle carrying through, simple past and past participle carried through)

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

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo manage to execute; to perform successfully, all the way to the end.

    But, you know, Max, I am pledged to carry through the Vandeeming affair here in town.

    1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
    1 more example

    He was clearly dealing with extremely small quantities, and considering the clumsy structure of telescopes then in use, it is surprising he managed to carry through the procedure at all. Nevertheless, he obtained a remarkably good value […]

    2006, Michael Bodin, Primer of Relativity: A Student's Introduction, page 66
  2. idiomaticintransitiveTo succeed; to make it.

    It is an old tradition carried through into the information age.

    1 more example

    We carried through, and the mock eviction was a great success on several counts.

    1980, Elizabeth Amer, Constance Mungall, Yes We Can!: How to Organize Citizen Action (page 32)
  3. idiomatictransitiveTo bring through difficulties etc.

    An agreeable sense of victory and the afterglow of the flash carried Emily through the afternoon in spite of the fact that Miss Brownell ridiculed her for her mistakes in spelling.

    1923, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Chapter 8”, in Emily of New Moon

Synonyms & antonyms

verbbring into safety

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Bulgarian завършвам, завършва
  • завършвам (zavăršvam)perform successfully to the end
  • завършва (zavăršva)perform successfully to the end
German zu Ende bringen, zu Ende führen
  • zu Ende bringenperform successfully to the end
  • zu Ende führenperform successfully to the end
  • durchziehenperform successfully to the end
  • durchführenperform successfully to the end
Latin perpetrō, peragō
  • perpetrōperform successfully to the end
  • peragōperform successfully to the end
Spanish llevar a término, llevar a cabo
  • llevar a términoperform successfully to the end
  • llevar a caboperform successfully to the end
  • sustentarperform successfully to the end
  • sostenerperform successfully to the end
Cite this entry
APA

carry through. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20through

MLA

“carry through.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20through. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carry through,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20through.

Source: carry through on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.