to carry off
4
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkæri ɔf/
:
llevarse
- The women and children were carried off; they were hidden in small huts so that passers-by should not see them.
But just like electromagnetic radiation, for example, from an orbiting system, radiation carries off energy.
- But just like electromagnetic radiation, for example, from an orbiting system, radiation carries off energy.
Examples
-
Small groups of horses rode into the villages and carried off fourteen chiefs before any defense could be organized.
Academic text (1990) -
Shortly after the 2003 invasion, looters trampled through the compound, carrying off everything of value, but vestiges of the Hussein years remained.
Academic text (2009) -
What they didn't eat, they carried off.
-
After dispatching him and his servants, they would require means of carrying off the heavy sacks and any other valuables.
Fiction book (1995) -
Here, three workers carry off a fragment of a termite carcass that has been placed on a leaf by researchers.
Academic text (1993) -
Moiz Inzada Ali returned to Cyprus with new volunteers drawn by the vast wealth carried off from Nicosia.
-
The storm carried off our picnic table into the river.
-
She was so moved by the performance that it carried off into a world of fantasy.
-
The thieves quickly carried off what they could before the police arrived.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Move someone or something to another place
795
2.3
To remove something from a place or reduce something important, for example a right
344
4.1
To move people out of a place because it is dangerous, for example during a fire
88
3.5
To move people or things away, sometimes because of strong feeling
37
7.5
To make someone feel very happy or excited
5
4.1
To take something away using a truck or van
4
5.9
To take someone or something away by vehicle, often quickly and without care
1
4.1
To take something away in a vehicle, often because it is large or unwanted
1
7.0
To carry someone or something away from a place to another
Move a person or thing from one place into a different state, often by force
To send someone away quickly without much ceremony
Antonyms
How Transported
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal sense 'to remove or transport' is directly compositional from 'carry' (to transport) + 'off' (away/removing) and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows the parts. However, the additional sense of moving someone emotionally or metaphorical extensions (and other idiomatic senses) are less predictable from the parts, so overall the item is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Carry off gives the simple image of being picked up and moved away—imagine an ambulance carrying a person off to hospital or a strong river carrying you off. That picture explains both the physical meaning 'to remove or transport' and the idea of being suddenly taken into a different state.