carry-on
adjective
of a size and shape suitable for being carried onto and stowed in the passenger compartment of an airplane.
carry-on
American
[kar-ee-on, -awn]
/ ˈkær iˌɒn, -ˌɔn /
adjective
noun
-
carry-ons
plural
carry on
British
verb
-
(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
noun
adjective
carry on
Idioms
-
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]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of carry-on
First recorded in 1950–55; adj., noun use of verb phrase 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:
Part of the defensiveness, no doubt, is about Rupar’s undoubted ability to make images of the enormous carry-on bag that Harp hauls around go viral.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Lithium batteries must be stowed in carry-on baggage only, the US regulator says.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some are offsetting costs by avoiding baggage fees, with 21% of respondents saying they switched to airlines that include baggage in fares and 29% opting to only bring a carry-on to avoid bag fees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The officers took their positions and scanned my ID, boarding pass and carry-on bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
I had a toothbrush in my small carry-on, along with a tiny tube of toothpaste.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
Nvidia shares rise again after hitting a record high on Monday, while Nike drops as investors carry on fretting about its weak guidance.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Pastushenko says she finds Ukrainians’ ability to carry on both remarkable and disturbing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Some fans and pundits have questioned how the club's owners can carry on if they deliberately breached rules over the course of nine years.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Now they are trying to carry on without Wyatt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
“No, you will not—not if you want her to live. However this ‘misunderstanding’ came about, you must carry on as if it were true.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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
Spirit offered uber-low, unbundled fares, charging more for carry-ons and picking a seat in advance of boarding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 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
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
As the flight attendants wandered the aisles collecting all the tiny plastic bottles of alcohol, the women on the flight started pulling headscarves out of their carry-ons and covering their hair.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
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.
