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to carry

to carry

12 7.1
Sing or play a tune accurately and in tune
  • verb
  • /หˆkรฆri/
  • Informal
translation icon : entonar
  • Meanwhile, Gloria's sister from Schenectady was belting it out, and that woman couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

Examples

  • So, unless you guys know anyone who can carry a tune... I'm gonna have to bid you good night.

  • Either you can carry that particular tune, or you cannot.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Well, I can carry a tune, but not really.

  • Can he carry a tune, Hal?

  • My voice is not what it should be these days, but it was once rumored that I could carry a tune.

  • And he can't carry a tune.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I can't carry a tune in a bucket, though.

  • They couldn't carry a tune to save their lives.

  • I can definitely carry a tune when singing my favorite songs in the shower.

  • It's amazing how well he can carry a tune even without any formal training.

Synonyms

to sing
vsto carry
โˆž 1.0

To make musical sounds with your voice

focuses on accurate pitch and in-tune performance rather than just making sounds
to carry a tune
vsto carry
10 4.5

To sing in tune without going off-key

also covers making music with instruments as well as by voice
to carry a note
vsto carry
5.9

To sing a note correctly and stay in tune

applies to whole melodies or parts rather than single sounds

Antonyms

158 1.3

To be without something needed or expected

Idioms

To sing in tune without going off-key

to carry a torch
  • Informal
4 7.7

Have strong feelings of love for someone who does not love you back

To do as much work as the others in a group

To behave in a calm, proud way when facing difficulty

1 9.9

To support someone and do things for them without asking questions

1 7.4

To take on responsibility as the next leader

1 7.9

To accept blame or responsibility that others refuse

To sing a note correctly and stay in tune

To be unable to sing in tune

To sing very badly and out of tune

To do something not needed because there is already plenty of it

To do important work well when other people depend on you

Phrasal Verbs

348 1.8

To do a task or follow instructions

253 2.7

To continue doing something after an interruption or when it is difficult

88 3.5

To move people or things away, sometimes because of strong feeling

to carry on
  • Informal
53 4.2

To behave in a silly or noisy way that annoys people

Continue doing something after a pause or interruption

14 3.5

To move something from one time or situation to a later one

to carry to term
  • Specialized
13 4.4

To continue a pregnancy until the baby is fully developed and ready to be born

to carry forward
  • Specialized
4 3.7

To move something unused from one period to the next so it can still be used

4 8.2

To kill many people or animals

To help someone get out of a dangerous or very difficult situation

4 4.4

To take a person to another place or to move someone's feelings suddenly

To have influence with people or in a situation

Finish something successfully when it is difficult

2 5.3

To do something difficult successfully and with skill

2 4.6

Lead a project or task and make sure it is finished

to carry over
  • Specialized
1 4.6

To keep unsold goods from one season to sell in the next

1 5.7

To do small, simple tasks or errands for someone in charge

1 8.5

Support or defend someone in a group, often without getting anything

A voice or sound that can be heard clearly at a distance

to carry back
  • Specialized
8.8

Subtract a loss or unused tax credit from the previous year's taxable income to reduce tax for that year

7.8

Have problems from the past that still affect your feelings or actions

Compounds

35 2.3

A small bag a passenger can take onto an airplane

carry-over
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Using skill or knowledge from one situation in another similar situation

Selling goods that customers must pay for in cash and carry away themselves

fireman's carry
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A way of carrying a person over your shoulders to move them quickly

carry-forward
  • Specialized
1 7.3

An amount of profit or loss that a company moves from a past financial period to the next period

carry-over
  • Specialized
7.0

Profit left in a company after paying dividends and putting money aside

6.6

A simple, boring job doing small errands and chores

fetch-and-carry task
  • Specialized
7.2

A robot action to pick up an object and carry it to a place

How In Tune

to carry
  • Informal
12 7.1

Surface Forms

carry infinitive
carried past
carried past participle
carrying present participle
carries third person singular

Etymology

Carry has the sense of holding or keeping something steady, and for music that became holding a note or melody clearly. So, if someone can 'carry' a tune, they can keep and sing the melody in tune.