carries on

verb

present tense third-person singular of carry on
1
as in acts out
to behave badly a toddler crying and carrying on in the store

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in persists
to continue despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement she bravely carried on despite the loss of her husband

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in operates
to look after and make decisions about carries on a business and still manages to run the household

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of carries on Maybe Walker carries on as an elite back for years to come and the Broncos — and others — will kick themselves for not getting more involved. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026 This hotel carries on the best of Edinburgh traditions while going above and beyond with 21st-century comforts. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 Stockton did have seven carries on Saturday, rushing for only 22 yards. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 3 Oct. 2026 Although the buildings have gotten taller over the years, the essential tool of the trade — a spud wrench that every ironworker carries on his belt to tighten the bolts that hold the beams together — has not changed in fifty years. — Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 The main room carries on with accents of green through a geometric rug and velvet sofa, plus soft tones of red and sand. — Sophia Herring, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2026 Now the restaurant is one of the places where Ortega carries on with life without Burciaga, who went back to his parents’ remote hometown in the mountains of Durango. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 The World Trade Organization carries on adjudicating trade disputes, despite a surge in protectionism. — Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 The land carries on the Roosevelt family’s legacy of conservation and environmentalism. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carries on
  1. acts out
  2. persists
  3. operates
  4. rebels
  5. manages
  6. disobeys
  7. supervises
  8. acts up
Verb
  • Jo, raised by her grandmother, is hyperactive, wild, free-spirited, and a talented artist but often acts out in school.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The next time your child acts out, try doing these five things.
    — Juli Fraga, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of acts out
Verb
  • However, as critic Robert Christagu recently argued in his newsletter, a lingering doubt persists that any singer-songwriter can repeat Dylan’s Nobel win.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Backlash to higher prices persists even as governments spend to keep citizens happy.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of persists
Verb
  • Beyond rocket production, Blue Origin operates facilities across Cocoa, Melbourne, Orlando, and Titusville.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Djrum is the rare DJ who operates almost entirely outside the world of genre; his sets swing from breakcore to IDM, jungle to techno, garage to field recordings to—well—whatever, really, depending on mood.
    — Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of operates
Verb
  • Masahiro Motoki — the Oscar-winning star of Departures — plays a lord who rebels against warlord Oda Nobunaga and barricades himself inside Arioka Castle, only to face a string of unsolved murders within its walls.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Set against the backdrop of the 1998 São Paulo World Cup between Brazil and France, Amarela follows 14-year-old Erika Oguihara (Melissa Uehara), a Japanese Brazilian sports fanatic who rebels against her family’s more Japanese cultural traditions.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026
Definition of rebels
Verb
  • American Transmission Company, a utility firm that develops and manages high-voltage transmission lines, has seen rapid growth, in part thanks to the AI and data center buildout.
    — Ted Kitterman, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The firm manages the cable’s arrival on France’s Atlantic coast and integrates it into Europe’s terrestrial network.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of manages
Verb
  • People don’t do what they’re supposed to, or someone betrays someone else for money or power or spite, or maybe a dragon just disobeys its rider and decides to murder a prince.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor in which an individual willfully disobeys or impedes a congressional investigation.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of disobeys
Verb
  • Request the treating physician’s name and qualifications, then ask who performs each stage and how the physician supervises the team.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Frot-Coutaz also supervises Sky Studios Elstree, Sky’s state-of-the-art film and TV studio, plus Sky Studios’ global portfolio of production companies that includes Blast!
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of supervises
Verb
  • Six weeks later, when that integration acts up again, the institutional memory that used to shorten the investigation may not be there.
    — Sanjay Gidwani, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Currently, Screen Time often acts up and just cuts off access to all apps, whether it’s supposed to or not.
    — Tyler Hayes, PC Magazine, 9 June 2026
Definition of acts up

Browse Nearby Words

carries off
carries on
carries out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carries on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carries%20on. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All