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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

In the caption, Spears wrote, “Stay humble out there, y’all ... Hi mommy and daddy, I am a star ... now have you heard ??? Carry on peeps …”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2023

A natural comedian, Cribbins came to the attention of the Carry On team - playing Midshipman Poop-Decker in Carry on Jack.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2022

Carry on into residential Sunset Hill; we’ll take 34th Avenue Northwest, which is just a block west of that buzzy little cocktail corner.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 11, 2022

Carry on, move forward, and continue to support one another.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

“You’re starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you’ll be made a prefect.”

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• continue