carrier

noun

car·​ri·​er ˈker-ē-ər 

ˈka-rē-

plural carriers

1

: one that carries : bearer, messenger

2

a

: an individual or organization engaged in transporting passengers or goods for hire

b

: a transportation line carrying mail between post offices

c

: a postal employee who delivers or collects mail

d

: one that delivers newspapers

e

: an entity (such as a hole or an electron) capable of carrying an electric charge

3

a

: a container for carrying

b

: a device or machine that carries : conveyor

4

: aircraft carrier

5

a

: a bearer and transmitter of a causative agent of an infectious disease

especially : one who carries the causative agent of a disease systemically but is asymptomatic or immune to it compare reservoir sense 3a, vector entry 1 sense 2a

b

: an individual (such as one heterozygous for a recessive trait) having a specified gene that is not expressed or only weakly expressed in its phenotype

6

a

: a usually inactive accessory substance : vehicle

a carrier for a drug or an insecticide

b

: a substance (such as a catalyst) by whose agency some element or group is transferred from one compound to another

7

a

: an electromagnetic wave or alternating current whose modulations are used as communications signals (as in radio, telephonic, or telegraphic transmissions)

b

: a telecommunication company

8

: an organization acting as an insurer

Examples of carrier in a Sentence

I put the pet carrier in the car.

The airline is the nation's largest carrier.

Mosquitoes can be carriers of malaria.

Recent Examples on the Web

How travelers benefit from induced demand For travelers in markets where new airlines enter, there’s an early honeymoon period during which the carrier attempts to drum up business with promotions and low fares. —Zach Wichter, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025

Later that day, the entire team visited the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, where hundreds of active-duty sailors observed the Chargers’ walk-through, participated in drills, met with players and coaches, and showed the team around the carrier. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025

Mixing it with a carrier oil or adding it to skincare products can help mask the scent. —Sherri Gordon, Health, 29 Oct. 2025

Alongside October’s cancellations, the carriers’ recent introduction of GRIs in mid-October has kept rates afloat. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English carier, cariour, from carien "to transport, carry entry 1" + -er, -our -er entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing carrier

• aircraft carrier
• baby carrier
• carrier bag
• carrier pigeon
• common carrier
• hod carrier
• letter carrier
• mail carrier
• people carrier
• personnel carrier
• spear-carrier

Rhymes for carrier

• barrier
• noncarrier

Kids Definition

carrier

noun

car·​ri·​er ˈkar-ē-ər 

1

: one that carries

mail carrier

2

: a person or firm engaged in transporting passengers or goods

3

a

: a bearer and transmitter of disease germs

especially : one who carries germs of a disease (as typhoid fever) in his or her system but is immune to the disease

b

: one who has a gene for a trait or condition (as sickle-cell anemia) that is not expressed in his or her system

4

: an electric wave or alternating current that is used to send signals (as for radio, television, telephone, and telegraph)

Medical Definition

carrier

noun

car·​ri·​er ˈkar-ē-ər 

1

a

: a person, animal, or plant that harbors and transmits the causative agent of an infectious disease

especially : one who carries the causative agent systemically but is asymptomatic or immune to it

a carrier of typhoid fever

compare reservoir sense 2, vector entry 1 sense 2

b

: an individual possessing a specified gene and capable of transmitting it to offspring but not expressing or only weakly expressing its phenotype

especially : one that is heterozygous for a recessive factor

2

: a usually inactive substance used in association with an active substance especially for aiding in the application of the active substance: as

a

: a support for a catalyst

b

: a vehicle serving especially as a diluent (as for an insecticide or a drug)

3

: a substance (as a catalyst) by whose agency some element or group is transferred from one compound to another

Legal Definition

carrier

noun

car·​ri·​er

1

: an individual or entity engaged in transporting passengers or goods for hire by land, water, or air

specifically : common carrier

2

: an insurer that assumes the risks of a policy that it issues to a policyholder