(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
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]
First recorded in 1950–55; adj., noun use of verb phrase carry on
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two years earlier, the FAA had begun to require that all carry-on luggage be X-rayed for weapons and passengers be scanned by a metal detector.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Soccer fans visiting a very large gas station for the first time… carry-on BBQ sandwiches & beaver nuggets?
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
The popular carry-on item is a leading cause of cabin fires, prompting airlines to ban charging them during flights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
According to Borenstein, Talankin arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York “to fly home to Europe” and had the Oscar in tow as a carry-on.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 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
"I need fall in love, you know? I need to meet my one true love. So I have to carry on until that happens."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Learning to drive initially demands constant attention, but years of experience allow many people to carry on a conversation, listen to music, or think through a problem while still driving safely.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
"If God left us here, it is so we can offer comfort, carry on and keep fighting for those of us who remain," Delgado said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
No matter how filthy a tackle might be, Deschamps instructed his players to bounce back up and carry on in silence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Caleb could cry and carry on long before a stranger or a hungry fox could be seen.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
