carry on - Idioms - by the Free Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

carry something on

1. to do something over a period of time. (Compare this with carry on (with something.) Do you think you can carry this on for a year? I will carry on this activity for three years if you want.

2. to continue to do something as a tradition. We intend to carry this celebration on as long as the family can gather for the holidays. We will carry on this tradition for decades, in fact.

3. Go to carry something onto something.

See also: carry

carry on

to behave badly or mischievously. The children always carry on when the teacher's out of the room. Stop carrying on and go to sleep!

See also: carry

carry on (with something)

to continue doing something. (Compare this with carry something on.) Please carry on with your singing. Tom carried on with his boring speech for twenty minutes.

See also: carry

carry on

1. to continue to do or be involved in something Dianne is carrying on the family tradition by becoming a lawyer. It's hard to carry on a business and take care of a small child at the same time.

2. to continue behaving in a particular way You've got to carry on as though nothing happened.

3. to behave in a manner that is not controlled The kids have been carrying on all day.

4. to continuously complain about something My grandmother carried on about the bad language she hears on TV.

See also: carry

? References in classic literature
Through all these fatigues we at length came to Jubo, a kingdom of considerable extent, situated almost under the line, and tributary to the Portuguese, who carry on a trade here for ivory and other commodities. A Voyage to Abyssinia by Lobo, Father View in context With this added incentive I nearly drove Sola distracted by my importunities to hasten on my education and within a few more days I had mastered the Martian tongue sufficiently well to enable me to carry on a passable conversation and to fully understand practically all that I heard. A Princess of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context to buy Dorlcote Mill, and carry on the business, which was a good one, and might be increased by the addition of steam power; in which case Tulliver might be retained as manager. The Mill on the Floss by Eliot, George View in context More results

? References in classic literature

Through all these fatigues we at length came to Jubo, a kingdom of considerable extent, situated almost under the line, and tributary to the Portuguese, who carry on a trade here for ivory and other commodities.

A Voyage to Abyssinia by Lobo, Father View in context

With this added incentive I nearly drove Sola distracted by my importunities to hasten on my education and within a few more days I had mastered the Martian tongue sufficiently well to enable me to carry on a passable conversation and to fully understand practically all that I heard.

A Princess of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context

to buy Dorlcote Mill, and carry on the business, which was a good one, and might be increased by the addition of steam power; in which case Tulliver might be retained as manager.

The Mill on the Floss by Eliot, George View in context

More results