1 A2 neutral
To physically remove someone or something by carrying.
"The rescue team carried away the injured hiker on a stretcher."
separable
carry away
B1 neutral separable transitive
To remove something or someone by carrying, or (figuratively) to cause someone to become so excited or emotional that they lose self-control.
In plain English
To pick something up and take it away, or to make someone so excited or emotional they stop thinking clearly.
What does "carry away" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To cause someone to become so excited, emotional, or enthusiastic that they lose their usual self-control or judgment.
"Don't get carried away — we still have a lot of work to do before we celebrate."
“
I got a little carried away.
— Commonly attributed as a self-deprecating phrase; widely documented in interviews and public speech as a set expression
separable
3 B1 neutral
For a force (water, wind) to move something by transporting it away with power.
"The river burst its banks and carried away several small boats."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To physically carry something away from its place.
Actually means
To pick something up and take it away, or to make someone so excited or emotional they stop thinking clearly.
Usage tip
The figurative sense is most commonly found in the passive construction 'be/get carried away'. The literal sense (physically transporting) is transparent. The emotional sense implies a loss of appropriate restraint.
Words that pair with "carry away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
emotion enthusiasm excitement crowd flood imagination
How to conjugate "carry away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
carry away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
carries away
he/she/it
Past simple
carried away
yesterday
Past participle
carried away
have + pp
-ing form
carrying away
continuous
Hear "carry away" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "carry away" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.