carry off
Britishverb
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to remove forcefully
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to win
he carried off all the prizes
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to manage or handle (a situation) successfully
he carried off the introductions well
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to cause to die
he was carried off by pneumonia
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Handle successfully, win, as in It was a difficult situation, but he managed to carry it off gracefully , or They carried off first prize . [First half of 1800s]
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Cause the death of someone, as in The new African virus carried off an entire village . This usage is less common today. [Late 1600s]
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.
Differentiated instruction — in which a teacher tailors lessons to varying student needs — sounds good but is difficult to carry off in a large class.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2024
A powerful carry off the back of the scrum from England number eight Alex Matthews helped set up Muir to barge her way over to quickly respond in an action-packed opening 10 minutes.
From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024
As anyone who has witnessed an ant carry off food from a picnic knows, insects are far stronger than their puny size suggests.
From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023
I grew preoccupied with the possibility that the police might barge into the bureau one day and carry off my computers and papers.
From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2022
When called upon to play the bear and carry off the maiden fair, he had been sullen and uncooperative, shuffling lifelessly through his paces when he deigned to take part in their mummery at all.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
