convey
Americanverb (used with object)
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conveys,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conveyed,
past participle, past
-
conveying
present participle
verb
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to take, carry, or transport from one place to another
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to communicate (a message, information, etc)
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(of a channel, path, etc) to conduct, transmit, or transfer
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law to transmit or transfer (the title to property)
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archaic to steal
Synonym Usage
See carry.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conveysimple
-
conveyssimple
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have conveyedperfect
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has conveyedperfect
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am conveyingprogressive
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are conveyingprogressive
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is conveyingprogressive
-
have been conveyingperfect progressive
-
has been conveyingperfect progressive
Past
-
conveyedsimple
-
had conveyedperfect
-
was conveyingprogressive
-
were conveyingprogressive
-
had been conveyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of convey
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conveyen, from Anglo-French conveier, from unattested Vulgar Latin conviāre, equivalent to con- “with, together, completely” + -viāre, derivative of via “way”; see con- ( def. ), via ( def. )
Explanation
When you convey something, you carry or deliver it. Little Red Riding Hood conveyed a basket of muffins to her grandmother. Your sad smile might convey more about your feelings than words ever could. You can also convey a message or information, which means that you communicate it to someone directly or indirectly through your words or actions. In law, the word convey means to transfer or pass property to someone. This verb is from Middle English conveyen, from Old French conveier, ultimately from the Latin prefix com-, "together," plus via, "way."
Vocabulary lists containing convey
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Scent marks have to convey useful information even though their chemistry begins changing as soon as they are deposited.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
She says that it's important if possible to convey a sense to local communities that by assisting this, they are selling their own heritage.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Justice for Clayton movement “fastened itself to my life with a level of fixation that is difficult to convey without sounding unbelievable,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Some do recall the morning but struggle to convey the magnitude of pain and fear to students for whom 9/11 is another date in a social studies course timeline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
I still accompany children sometimes, but more often I am sent to convey messages of one sort or another.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
When he turns, we turn, and the anguish that Garfield wordlessly conveys is our compass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Wile E. Coyote conveys his hunger in a glower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ms. Day conveys Gelsomina’s strange existential awakening with a mix of narrative strategies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
She capably belts out the chorus yet never conveys the stakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
My grandfather conveys his complimints and appreciates your interest in the subject.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
He specified in his statement the venues took issue with “how Macklemore conveyed part of his message,” but not “everything that was said.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Sánchez had previously told parliament that there was "no information that conveyed the magnitude" of the "crisis we were going to suffer" on the last two days of July.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
"Every report regarding shortages of personnel, equipment, water, or other needs must be conveyed immediately so that solutions can be found."
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
Even so, it matters little what warnings Mr. Ratcliffe conveyed to the Kremlin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Hasty is far advanced in her pregnancy and is presumed to have been conveyed away by some person, as she could not undergo the fatigue of traveling.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Children in the study looked at faces conveying different emotions onscreen, and eye tracking technology recorded where their attention veered.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
But sports were such a ubiquitous part of their lives that, naturally, they became a canvas for conveying those lessons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
It is the same message officials across the country have been conveying in British Columbia, where around 115 fires are currently burning.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Greenspan exhibited a deft touch with financial markets, saying the barest minimum in his statements but seemingly always conveying what traders wanted to hear.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
We live in a sea of images conveying the culture and learning of modern civilization.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
