carry off

verb

carried off; carrying off; carries off
Synonyms of carry offnext

transitive verb

1
: to cause the death of
the plague carried off thousands
2
: to perform or manage successfully : bring off
tried to look suave but couldn't carry it off

Examples of carry off in a Sentence

the con artist would never have been able to carry off his schemes if it were not for the greed of his eager victims pray that the pestilence does not carry off any more souls than it already has
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
He was eventually flipped over onto his back, tended to by medical staff and carried off the platform. Zach Powell, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026 In seventeenth-century England, there was a vogue for books by pregnant women addressed to their unborn offspring, offering preëmptive guidance and moral instruction to stand in for the mother’s own wisdom, should she be untimely carried off. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026 Zeus acting for his own pleasure underlies the evolutionary tales of small groups raiding foreign shores, carrying off women. Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026 The remains of Torres-Tovar and Howard arrived at the Dover Air Force Base in transfer caskets draped with the American flag, after being carried off a C-17 military aircraft. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 17 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carry off

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of carry off was circa 1640

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Cite this Entry

“Carry off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carry%20off. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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