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Glite Dictionary
🔄 To transfer 📦 To keep unsold goods
to carry over

to carry over

1 4.6
To keep unsold goods from one season to sell in the next
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈkæri ˈoʊvər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : guardar
  • The bakery decided to carry over leftover pastries into the following day's menu.

Examples

  • Yet in a written answer last week, his minister said that the money would not be carried over from this financial year to next.

  • Social media contact details are not carried over into our system.

    Blog text (32)

  • Of course, we should not assume recent offensive production will necessarily carry over to next season.

    Blog text (19)

  • Many communal farmers rely on seed that they have carried over from the previous growing season and cannot afford to purchase new seed.

    Academic text (1997)

  • A related possibility is that positive changes in attitude are situation-specific and do not carry over into civilian life.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Can unspent start-up funds be carried over, or will second-year funding provide for these additional items?

    Academic text (2004)

  • Though he said he has always been re-accepted, he doesn't have a lot of credits that carry over from previous semesters.

    Blog text (2)

  • Many retailers will carry over unsold winter clothing to the next season's sale.

  • This year's promotional items will be carried over for next year's marketing campaign.

Synonyms

to carry forward
vsto carry over
  • Specialized
4 3.7

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

keeps unsold goods for sale in the following season
to hold over
vsto carry over
1 4.6

To keep something for use or sale after its planned time

keeps unsold goods for sale in the next season rather than just delaying time

Antonyms

to sell out
65 2.8

To sell all the tickets or goods so nothing is left

How Much

to overstock
1 4.5
to carry over
  • Specialized
1 4.6
leftover
1 1.6
to sell out
65 2.8

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

carry + over

The meaning 'to keep goods unsold in one season for sale in the next' is directly derivable from 'carry' (to hold/move/stock) plus 'over' (across or into the following period); together they compositionally signal transfer into the next time period. This verb+particle pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The sense of carry over for goods comes from shops moving unsold boxes forward: they carry the items over into the next season instead of throwing them away. That is why carry over here means 'to keep unsold goods' to sell later.