carry off

verb

carried off; carrying off; carries off

transitive verb

1

: to cause the death of

the plague carried off thousands

2

: to perform or manage successfully : bring off

tried to look suave but couldn't carry it off

Synonyms

• accomplish
• achieve
• bring off
• carry out
• commit
• compass
• do
• execute
• follow through (with)
• fulfill
• fulfil
• make
• negotiate
• perform
• perpetrate
• prosecute
• pull off
• put through

Examples of carry off in a Sentence

the con artist would never have been able to carry off his schemes if it were not for the greed of his eager victims

pray that the pestilence does not carry off any more souls than it already has

Recent Examples on the Web

The echoes from Phil Little Thunder’s drum were carried off by the wind. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Using disguises and fake passports to carry off his latest hit, the cold-blooded Jackal (Redmayne) sparks a massive police operation across Europe to find him. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024

So much, that a Rams season that was on the ropes was carried off on the team’s collective shoulders. —Jay Paris, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

Ter Stegen fell badly after jumping for a ball just before halftime and was visibly in pain as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher. —Reuters, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2