Synonyms of carrying on

carrying on

verb

present participle of carry on

1

as in acting out

to behave badly

a toddler crying and carrying on in the store

Synonyms & Similar Words

• acting out
• disobeying
• acting up
• running riot
• raising Cain
• misconducting
• rebelling
• misbehaving
• cutting up
• kidding (around)
• horsing around
• clowning (around)
• showing off
• fooling around
• roughhousing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obeying
• conducting
• acting
• bearing
• containing
• quitting
• moving
• complying
• handling
• conforming
• controlling
• checking
• collecting
• acquitting
• composing
• deporting
• inhibiting
• curbing
• restraining
• demeaning
• comporting
• constraining
• quieting
• repressing

2

as in persisting

to continue despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement

she bravely carried on despite the loss of her husband

Synonyms & Similar Words

• persisting
• hanging in there
• gutting it out
• persevering
• hanging on
• keeping up
• following through (with)
• digging in
• knuckling down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• giving up
• knocking off
• giving in
• submitting
• quitting
• yielding
• bowing
• surrendering
• hanging back
• succumbing
• wavering
• hesitating
• faltering
• vacillating
• wobbling
• shilly-shallying

3

as in operating

to look after and make decisions about

carries on a business and still manages to run the household

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operating
• managing
• supervising
• overseeing
• handling
• controlling
• regulating
• conducting
• presiding (over)
• running
• watching over
• governing
• keeping
• administering
• directing
• guiding
• tending
• caring (for)
• protecting
• overlooking
• superintending
• administrating
• stewarding
• watching
• leading
• steering
• safeguarding
• guarding
• piloting
• minding
• codirecting
• comanaging
• micromanaging
• stage-managing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of carrying on

Leo, who took his name from the 19th-century pope whose encyclical on labor laid the foundation of Catholic social teaching, has made the poor and vulnerable a focus of his papacy, carrying on the legacy of his Argentine predecessor, Pope Francis. — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026

The craft is another important cultural component of his Haida-Tsimshian heritage, and his creations are an act of resistance and cultural preservation—carrying on the work of his grandfather, Jones Yeltatzie. — Kate Nelson, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026

Bloody diarrhea or diarrhea with a significant fever calls for medical care rather than simply taking an antidiarrheal and carrying on with your trip. — Andrés Henao, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026

Jaeger LeCoultre is carrying on the tradition of dropping a new Master Ultra Thin Moon each fall. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2026

There’s been a lot of talk about carrying on her work, especially during these times when people feel like some of it has been eroded. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 7 Oct. 2026

In the tangled greenery of a Ugandan national park, mountain gorillas sit among the leaves, calmly carrying on as tourists trek into their forest home. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

The acquisition also puts Lewis in the somewhat unusual position of carrying on the businesses of two veteran New York printmakers who helped shape his career. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

The two sides are carrying on with development of multiple projects, with one of them said to be nearing a series order. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026