carry off

verb

Definition of carry offnext
1
as in to fulfill
to carry through (as a process) to completion the con artist would never have been able to carry off his schemes if it were not for the greed of his eager victims

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to deprive of life pray that the pestilence does not carry off any more souls than it already has

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 carry off On the next day of the match, Australian wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield was hit on the head and suffered a fractured skull while facing Larwood (to a conventional field) and had to be carried off the field. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 An amateur game in Istanbul was halted earlier in 2026 when a seagull was struck by the ball mid-flight, prompting the home team’s captain to rush over and perform CPR on the bird before it was carried off the field for further care. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026 Fans booed when the squirrel was finally captured and carried off under a towel, but the team says the animal was released in fine health. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026 Shania Twain has performed in stadiums around the world and carried off not one but two Las Vegas residencies, but this summer, a smaller stage felt like a dream come true. — Amanda Wicks, Pitchfork, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for carry off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carry off
  1. fulfill
  2. destroy
  3. accomplish
  4. kill
  5. perform
  6. slay
  7. achieve
  8. execute
Verb
  • While eliminating progressive programs, Walls said the state should fulfill its obligation to fully and equally fund all public schools.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The perfecting statement and requested cure The notice must explicitly state that it is served to fulfill the procedural prerequisite for pursuing the statutory civil remedy.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fulfill
Verb
  • Rather than undertaking the difficult but just and moral work of reform of the nation's immigration laws, Vance would destroy and expel their families with a smile, claiming that such actions will save you money.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Running low on fuel, NASA chose to steer Cassini straight into Saturn's atmosphere, where the spacecraft was destroyed.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • Others are skeptical the task force can accomplish much in such a short time period, arguing that eventually sweeping new legislation will be needed to regulate AI.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In theory, these devices could accomplish tasks of great complexity.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of accomplish
Verb
  • Hundreds of Palestinians have been attacked and a few have been killed this olive harvest alone, which started in late September, rights groups have said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Police were investigating what caused the pickup truck to barrel through a soccer field, killing a man and a child.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of kill
Verb
  • Padma Khanna and other doubles performed some of the dances instead of Kumari, which made the continuity puzzle harder.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • And warming temperatures are hindering their ability to perform essential functions.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of perform
Verb
  • The kind of beast Riley and the Trojans have struggled to slay.
    — Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • My Morning Jacket has now earned their own history in the room, with a total of 18 shows played and slayed.
    — Benjy Eisen, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of slay
Verb
  • The problem, Snegovaya said, is that achieving military autonomy for Europe and Ukraine is extremely difficult in the short term, and Europe has been slow to develop the necessary capabilities.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, second-unit director Peter Ramsey worked alongside stunt performers, with some creature interactions achieved through surprisingly simple physical stand-ins.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of achieve
Verb
  • Classical computers can efficiently execute this method, but translating it into quantum circuits creates a major storage problem.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • There's no one character who came up with the idea and executed it … the existence of AI today comes down to many papers, many individual discoveries, and a whole lot of obsession.
    — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of execute

Browse Nearby Words

carrying weight
carry off
carry-on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carry off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carry%20off. 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