carry-on
adjective
of a size and shape suitable for being carried onto and stowed in the passenger compartment of an airplane.
carry-on
American
[kar-ee-on, -awn]
/ ˈkær iˌɒn, -ˌɔn /
adjective
noun
-
carry-ons
plural
carry on
British
verb
-
(intr) to continue or persevere
we must carry on in spite of our difficulties
-
(tr) to manage or conduct
to carry on a business
-
informal to have an affair
-
informal (intr) to cause a fuss or commotion
noun
adjective
carry on
Idioms
-
Maintain, conduct, as in The villagers carried on a thriving trade , or They carried on a torrid love affair . [c. 1600]
-
Continue or progress, persevere, as in I'm sure you can carry on without me . [Mid-1600s]
-
Behave in an excited, improper, or silly manner, as in They laughed and sang and carried on rather noisily . [Early 1800s]
-
Flirt, engage in an illicit love affair, as in She accused her friend of carrying on with her husband . [Early 1900s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of carry-on
First recorded in 1950–55; adj., noun use of verb phrase carry on
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:
Lithium batteries must be stowed in carry-on baggage only, the US regulator says.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some are offsetting costs by avoiding baggage fees, with 21% of respondents saying they switched to airlines that include baggage in fares and 29% opting to only bring a carry-on to avoid bag fees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson did not answer specific questions about PS and would say only that the agency “screens all checked and carry-on baggage on commercial flights departing from LAX.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
More times than not, I have to sit on my carry-on to zip it shut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He had offered to help her with her carry-on bag and, later, had asked the flight attendant if he could take the seat next to hers since it was vacant.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
He had returned to Banik Ostrava as sporting director in 2022 and wanted to carry on working.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Wigan Warriors won a sixth League Leaders' Shield as they ran in nine tries to beat Catalans Dragons and carry on their remarkable run of form heading into the Super League play-offs.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Tech stocks surge in Asia as investors bet that the AI boom will carry on driving up chip and memory demand.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
We owe it to Parton to carry on that indomitable spirit, even if, in the end, we’re all just travelin’ thru.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Then I take off the key I carry on a string around my neck, lock our apartment, and hold Boo’s hand as we tiptoe down the stairs.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Ryanair has done this by posting extremely low base fares and charging for everything it can—including checked bags, all but the smallest carry-ons, seat selection, and food and drinks.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
It’s probably just a matter of time until the other big players strip out carry-ons, as United has already done.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2025
TSA has often been a crapshoot, risking pileups as travelers pulled laptops from carry-ons and novice vacationers struggled to untie their sneakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
It’s watching what people have tucked into their carry-ons: the foods that reveal where they’ve been or where they’re going.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
He eyed the passengers moving down the aisle with mild disinterest, but only to make sure they didn’t hit his shoulder with their purses and carry-ons as they passed.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
