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Synonyms

carry forward

British  

verb

  1. accounting to transfer (a balance) to the next page, column, etc

  2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): carry over. tax accounting to apply (a legally permitted credit, esp an operating loss) to the taxable income of following years to ease the overall tax burden

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also called: carry-over. tax accounting an amount carried forward

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
carry forward Idioms  
  1. Also, carry over . Transfer a bookkeeping entry to the next column, page, another account, or the next accounting period, as in Let's carry forward this loss to the next quarter for a saving in taxes , or She made an error in carrying over this column . The first term dates from the first half of the 1800s; the variant dates from the mid-1700s.

  2. Make progress in, advance, as in His successor hoped to carry forward his work . Also see 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:

Similarly, the group Our Revolution, which was founded as a way to carry forward the grassroots organizing behind Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, has thrown its organizing capacity behind Jackson’s candidacy.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

About $7 million in Green Dot/Locke-specific grants would not carry forward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

This means, for example, they can deduct the cost of investment in developing projects against tax and carry forward those credits against future profits.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

For those of us defending free speech, it is a legacy we carry forward with gratitude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

This was the message we needed to carry forward.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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