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.
Photons, for example, can bounce off an atom and carry off positional information about it without changing the quantum state of the system. Quanta Magazine, 13 Feb. 2026 Gomez made his comeback off the bench at the Stadium of Light after the worrying sight of Wataru Endo being carried off on a stretcher midway through the second half. James Pearce, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026 Chinese rider Liu Jiayu, a 2018 silver medallist competing in her fifth Olympics, crashed on the second run and was carried off the course on a stretcher by medical staff. Reuters, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026 If anyone was wondering why the singer barely moved while performing and appeared to be carried off the stage, the gown, while indeed stunning, weighed kilos in the double-digit range. Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 7 Feb. 2026 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 20 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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