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.
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
Election experts say that measures implemented over the years make it extremely unlikely that a malicious insider could carry off a hack that alters votes to throw an election.
From Washington Post • May 28, 2022
But just as he thought he was making progress, the pigs learned how to carry off trash cans.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2022
Foxes could carry off dead squirrels and possums.
From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong
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.
