that which is carried over, postponed, or extended to a later time, account, etc.
Bookkeeping. the total of one page of an account carried forward to the next.
to postpone or defer
accounting tax accounting another term for carry forward
(on the London Stock Exchange) to postpone (payment or settlement) until the next account day
something left over for future use, esp goods to be sold
accounting a sum or balance carried forward
another name for contango
tax accounting another name for carry-forward See carry forward
See carry forward , def. 1.
To keep something, usually merchandise, for a subsequent period. For example, We'll carry over this summer's bathing suits for next winter's resort season .
Persist from one time or situation to another, as in His leadership in sports carried over to the classroom . [Late 1800s]
First recorded in 1735–45; noun use of verb phrase carry over
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Reyna is one of 13 players from that Qatar squad selected by coach Mauricio Pochettino for this year’s roster—tying the U.S. record for most carry-over between World Cups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
On Tuesday, the government passed a carry-over motion allowing the bill to continue its passage through Parliament after prorogation, but it is not clear when exactly it will be debated by MPs.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
What you’re seeing at the start of the season is a carry-over from how they finished the season.”
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2024
"The increase registered in the CPI during August will generate a carry-over effect," said Eugenio Mari, Chief Economist at the Libertad y Progreso Foundation.
From Reuters ● Sep. 11, 2023
We said all this in my kitchen, drinking coffee, sitting at my kitchen table, in those low, intense voices we used for such arguments when we were in our early twenties; a carry-over from college.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
“We have another game in two days, then the next four or five games are definitely winnable, so carry over the positives from this game.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are each budgeted to carry over 400 antitrust attorneys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Newsbeat asks Louden if having a lead actor who is well-known and respected among players championing Saros will carry over with audiences.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The symptoms of muscle tension dysphonia tend to carry over into laughing, singing, and changing the pitch of one’s voice.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
Recognizing faces sounds like a very specific process, but Schooler has shown that the implications of verbal overshadowing carry over to the way we solve much broader problems.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
