carry means To single-handedly win a game when your team is underperforming. It's mostly used in gaming and streaming culture. It's casual and generally safe with friends and online. It's standard online vocabulary; nothing inherently concerning about hearing it.
carry
To single-handedly win a game when your team is underperforming.
ˈkær.iDocumented since 2010s2010sGen ZtrendingCurrent1.1K viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~2010 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
RedditApr 2026
Looking for words that appear nonsensical but carry weight Recently stumbled upon "martyr" and was fascinated by how it almost resembles random letters thrown together, yet holds such profound significance. Anyone kno…
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Wikipedia: Carry On (franchise)
The humour of Carry On was in the British comic tradition of music hall and bawdy seaside postcards.
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Wikipedia: Suzuki Carry
The Suzuki Carry (Japanese: スズキ・キャリイ, Hepburn: Suzuki Kyarī) is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki.
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Wikipedia: Carry On (franchise)
The Carry On series contains the largest number of films of any British film franchise, and is the second longest running, albeit with a 14-year gap (1978–1992) between the 30th and 31st entries.
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Wikipedia: Suzuki Carry
The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the Suzuki Every (Japanese: スズキ・エブリイ, Hepburn: Suzuki Eburī).
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Definitions
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#1·Apr 23, 2026INTERNETCasual
To single-handedly win a game when your team is underperforming. "He hard-carried that match" = did most of the work. Extended into everyday English: "I carried that group project." The best carry player makes it look easy; nobody else gets to claim they helped.
Origin: Gaming / esports community vocabulary.
For parents
carry means To single-handedly win a game when your team is underperforming. It's mostly used in gaming and streaming culture. It's casual and generally safe with friends and online. It's standard online vocabulary; nothing inherently concerning about hearing it.
For ESL learners
"carry" is slang. It means: To single-handedly win a game when your team is underperforming. Register: casual. Use it in: casual conversation and online posts. Avoid in: formal writing and professional emails.
Cluster: gaming
Heard in the wild
“Looking for words that appear nonsensical but carry weight Recently stumbled upon "martyr" and was fascinated by how it almost resembles random letters thrown together, yet holds such profound significance. Anyone know of other terms that seem like meaningless jumbles at first glance but actually convey deep or important concepts?”
— r/words· Apr 2026“The humour of Carry On was in the British comic tradition of music hall and bawdy seaside postcards.”
“The Suzuki Carry (Japanese: スズキ・キャリイ, Hepburn: Suzuki Kyarī) is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki.”
“The Carry On series contains the largest number of films of any British film franchise, and is the second longest running, albeit with a 14-year gap (1978–1992) between the 30th and 31st entries.”
“The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the Suzuki Every (Japanese: スズキ・エブリイ, Hepburn: Suzuki Eburī).”
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#25·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
In an addition, to transfer the quantity in excess of what is countable in the units in a column to the column immediately to the left in order to be added there.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Show 33 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
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#2·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To move; to convey using force
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#3·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To hold the head; said of a horse.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#4·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To adopt or resolve on, especially in a deliberative assembly
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#5·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
A manner of transporting or lifting something; the grip or position in which something is carried.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#6·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To adopt (something); take (something) over.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#7·May 2, 2026INTERNETWork-OK
To bear a firearm, such as a gun.
Cluster: crime
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#8·May 2, 2026INTERNETNeutral
To be disproportionately responsible for a team's success or for counteracting teammates' underperformance.
Cluster: gaming
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#9·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To be transmitted; to travel.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#10·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To bear the charges or burden of holding or having, as stocks, merchandise, etc., from one time to another.
Cluster: money
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#11·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To have on one’s person.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#12·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
The bit or digit that is carried in an addition operation.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#13·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To transport (the ball) whilst maintaining possession.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#14·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
For the ball, having been hit in the air, to reach a fielder without touching the ground (whether or not the fielder catches it).
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#15·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To capture a ship by coming alongside and boarding.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#16·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To convey by extension or continuance; to extend.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#17·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To physically transport (in the general sense, not necessarily by lifting)
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#18·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To contain; to comprise; have a particular aspect; to show or exhibit
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#19·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
The sky; cloud-drift.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#20·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To bear or uphold successfully, especially through conflict, for example a leader or principle
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#21·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#22·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To succeed in (e.g. a contest); to succeed in; to win.
Cluster: success
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#23·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To have, hold, possess or maintain (something).
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#24·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To notionally transfer from one place (such as a country, book, or column) to another.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#26·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To have propulsive power; to propel.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#27·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
The benefit or cost of owning an asset over time.
Cluster: money
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#28·May 2, 2026INTERNETWork-OK
To have a weapon on one's person; to be armed.
Cluster: crime
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#29·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
A tract of land over which boats or goods are carried between two bodies of navigable water; a portage.
Cluster: transport
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#30·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To bear (oneself); to behave or conduct.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#31·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
The distance travelled by the ball when struck, until it hits the ground.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#32·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To stock or supply (something); to have in store.
Cluster: money
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#33·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To get possession of by force; to capture.
Cluster: conflict
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#34·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To be pregnant (with).
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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#35·May 2, 2026INTERNETFormal
To have earth or frost stick to the feet when running, as a hare.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
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Add your own interpretation of "carry".
🎮About Gaming slang
Gaming slang across genres — from OP, nerf, and buff to carry, clutch, jungle, and wombo combo. The lingo of esports, streamers, and ranked lobbies everywhere.
See all Gaming slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "carry" (C)
carritchescarrotcarrot cakecarrot crunchercarrotscarrot-toppedcarryallcarry arccarry bagcarry checkcarry codedcarry energy
Browse all slang words starting with C.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- hard carry77%
To so completely carry a match that your team literally doesn't matter. 25/1 scoreline territory. Also a noun for the player role designed to hard-carry.
- l carry75%
An L carry is the brutal scenario where you gave everything — you genuinely carried in terms of performance and effort — but still lost. The L carry is often considered the cruelest outcome in competitive gaming because the asymmetry is so painful: maximum input, wrong result. It's different from just losing; it's losing despite doing the thing you needed to do, because variables outside your control betrayed you. The L carry has migrated into everyday use to describe anyone who worked harder than everyone else in a failing situation: the one excellent employee at a collapsing company, the partner who held everything together in a doomed relationship.
- carry coded73%
Carry coded describes someone who just has it in them to be the one who comes through — who seems built, by personality or circumstance or sheer stubbornness, to pull weight when others drop it. It's in their DNA. They'll stay late on a project no one else cares about. They'll make the comeback in a game that should've been a loss. They'll be the friend who shows up when everyone else makes excuses. Carry coded isn't always a compliment in the pure sense — it can imply someone has been conditioned into the role and struggles to let others step up — but it always signals a recognizable pattern of reliable, unilateral effort.