convey
Americanverb (used with object)
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conveys,
present (3rd person singular)
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conveyed,
past participle, past
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conveying
present participle
verb
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to take, carry, or transport from one place to another
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to communicate (a message, information, etc)
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(of a channel, path, etc) to conduct, transmit, or transfer
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law to transmit or transfer (the title to property)
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archaic to steal
Synonym Usage
See carry.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conveysimple
-
conveyssimple
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have conveyedperfect
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has conveyedperfect
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am conveyingprogressive
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are conveyingprogressive
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is conveyingprogressive
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have been conveyingperfect progressive
-
has been conveyingperfect progressive
Past
-
conveyedsimple
-
had conveyedperfect
-
was conveyingprogressive
-
were conveyingprogressive
-
had been conveyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of convey
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conveyen, from Anglo-French conveier, from unattested Vulgar Latin conviāre, equivalent to con- “with, together, completely” + -viāre, derivative of via “way”; see con- ( def. ), via ( def. )
Explanation
When you convey something, you carry or deliver it. Little Red Riding Hood conveyed a basket of muffins to her grandmother. Your sad smile might convey more about your feelings than words ever could. You can also convey a message or information, which means that you communicate it to someone directly or indirectly through your words or actions. In law, the word convey means to transfer or pass property to someone. This verb is from Middle English conveyen, from Old French conveier, ultimately from the Latin prefix com-, "together," plus via, "way."
Vocabulary lists containing convey
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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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:
She eulogizes the emoticon, that conglomeration of punctuation marks that English-language texters used to convey feelings before the arrival in 2010 of the emoji.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They could even convey the rules they had discovered through gestures or sketches.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
"It's impossible to convey the full impact Rhys' death had on us," she said, adding there was a "massive hole left in our lives by his unnecessary death".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I play enough to convey my musical ideas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
It was harder to convey warmth in larger auditoriums.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Kiki’s willingness to help others conveys a more important teaching about interdependence as an integral part of independence.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
What do you hope the film conveys to viewers?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The "Country Roads" appeal lies in the way it conveys "a kinder, simpler era with less conflict and division," said Doug Hartmann, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
He conveys the grief and terror felt by abolitionists in the founding generation, who predicted catastrophe, and the abhorrence of the institution among such men as Adams, who believed in emancipation by gradual means.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
A smile that conveys as much welcome as regret.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
It requires, at minimum, a deep understanding of how, for example, an agent’s identity is “determined, managed, conveyed and operates,” as Crawford explained in an earlier post.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
But what the attendees couldn’t say out loud was at least conveyed by their massive presence: They would not let a data center go up without their input.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Save the Redwoods League last month conveyed the 125-acre property to the Yurok Tribe following a years-long project to restore the degraded industrial site to a diverse riparian habitat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“If Congress intended to limit American citizenship to the children of those domiciled in the United States, nothing in the succinct language of the Citizenship Clause conveyed that design,” Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was an action that rightly evoked praise here and abroad, and I conveyed my appreciation to Mr. de Klerk.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
It is the same message officials across the country have been conveying in British Columbia, where around 115 fires are currently burning.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Greenspan exhibited a deft touch with financial markets, saying the barest minimum in his statements but seemingly always conveying what traders wanted to hear.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Unlike in opera productions, there are no supertitles conveying the original English.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Instead, she hopes that the romance and fantasy will work on their own merit to sweep readers off their feet, conveying just how great it can feel to get lost in a great book.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
If my organelles are really symbiotic bacteria, colonizing me, what’s to prevent them from catching a virus, or if they have such a thing as lysogeny, from conveying a phage to other organelles?
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
