To carry means to hold something and move it from one place to another. When you carry your backpack to school, you're supporting its weight as you walk. A mail carrier carries letters and packages to people's homes. Ants can carry objects many times heavier than themselves.

The word extends beyond physical objects. A newspaper carries stories and information to readers. Your voice might carry across a gymnasium, meaning the sound travels far enough for others to hear clearly. In sports, a talented player might carry their team, meaning their strong performance helps the whole group succeed even when others struggle.

In mathematics, when you add numbers and get a sum greater than nine in one column, you carry a digit to the next column over. In a store, you might ask, “Do you carry this brand?” meaning “Do you stock and sell it?”

The word also appears in phrases like carry on (to continue despite difficulty) or carry out (to complete a task or follow through on a plan). When a teacher asks you to carry out an experiment, she wants you to actually do it, not just read about it.