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• carry-on
  carry-on

  adjective

  of a size and shape suitable for being carried onto and stowed in the passenger compartment of an airplane.
• carry on
  carry on

  verb

  (intr) to continue or persevere

carry-on

American  

[kar-ee-on, -awn] / ˈkær iˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

adjective

1. of a size and shape suitable for being carried onto and stowed in the passenger compartment of an airplane.

   carry-on luggage.

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noun

1. a piece of carry-on luggage.

carry on British  

verb

1. (intr) to continue or persevere

   we must carry on in spite of our difficulties

2. (tr) to manage or conduct

   to carry on a business

3. informal to have an affair

4. informal (intr) to cause a fuss or commotion

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noun

1. informal a fuss or commotion

adjective

1. (of luggage) to be taken inside an aircraft by hand personally by a passenger

carry on Idioms  

1. Maintain, conduct, as in The villagers carried on a thriving trade , or They carried on a torrid love affair . [c. 1600]

2. Continue or progress, persevere, as in I'm sure you can carry on without me . [Mid-1600s]

3. Behave in an excited, improper, or silly manner, as in They laughed and sang and carried on rather noisily . [Early 1800s]

4. Flirt, engage in an illicit love affair, as in She accused her friend of carrying on with her husband . [Early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of carry-on

First recorded in 1950–55; adj., noun use of verb phrase carry on

Example Sentences

Lozano's laboratory develops, manufactures, and tests electrospray propulsion systems for satellites ranging in size from a lunchbox to a small carry-on suitcase.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

If you wanted to choose the location of your seat or bring a carry-on bag, you had to pay up.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: We tested a plethora of luggage and found that Away’s classic carry-on comes out on top.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The European Union Safety Aviation Agency carried out a study in 2022 that concluded the mean passenger weight, including carry-on luggage, was 84kg.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

I was trying to talk to Link, but 1 couldn’t because I was getting bannered so hard, and I kept blinking and trying to walk forward with my carry-on.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• continue