Meaning & use
carry around
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To keep something with you as you move from place to place, often in your hands, pocket, or bag.
Grammar: Takes an object, and the object can go before or after 'around': carry a phone around / carry around a phone. With a pronoun, keep it in the middle: carry it around.
Patterns
- carry something around
- carry around something
- carry something around with you
She always carries an umbrella around, even when the sky is clear.
I don't like carrying around so much cash, so I pay by card.
He carried the box around the whole house looking for a place to put it.
verbtransitivefigurative
To have a feeling, idea, or problem with you most of the time and be unable to forget it.
Grammar: Used with abstract nouns like guilt, worry, or hope; the object usually comes after 'around'.
Patterns
- carry around a feeling
- carry something around with you
He carried the guilt around for years before he finally told the truth.
Many students carry around a lot of worry about exams.
She still carries his memory around with her every day.
Word forms
| third person singular | carries around |
|---|---|
| past tense | carried around |
| past participle | carried around |
| -ing form | carrying around |
Common combinations
- carry a bag around
- I carry a heavy bag around all day at work.
- carry a phone around
- Teenagers carry their phones around everywhere.
- carry around a lot of cash
- It's risky to carry around a lot of cash in a big city.
- carry a memory around
- He carried that memory around with him for the rest of his life.
- carry something around with you
- Try to carry a notebook around with you so you can write down ideas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- take around
- Focuses on moving something to different places, often to show people; 'carry around' stresses holding it with you.
- lug around
- Informal and suggests the thing is heavy or annoying; 'carry around' is neutral.
- bring along
- Means take something with you to a specific event; 'carry around' suggests ongoing movement, not one trip.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: carry around or carry on? carry around or get around?
carry around vs carry on
'Carry on' means to continue doing something ('carry on working'), while 'carry around' means to keep something with you as you move.
carry around vs get around
'Get around' means to travel or move from place to place, often avoiding something; it does not mean holding an object with you.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'carry around' correctly?
Choose one answer.
With a pronoun object, 'around' must come after the pronoun: 'carries it around'. Option 0 puts the pronoun in the wrong place, and options 2 and 3 use 'carry on', which means 'continue', not 'keep with you'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carry around”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.