To do, perform, or complete a task, plan, or instruction; to conduct an investigation, experiment, or study; to fulfill a duty, promise, or threat; OR (noun, mainly American) food prepared at a restaurant to be eaten elsewhere
The construction company had spent months planning every detail of the bridge renovation, from materials to safety protocols to traffic management. When the day finally arrived, the workers began to carry out the carefully designed plan with impressive precision, coordinating their movements like a well-rehearsed orchestra and completing each phase exactly on schedule while curious drivers watched from the temporary detour route.
This is the most frequent way you’ll encounter carry out. It means to actually do something that was planned, ordered, or intended. When your boss gives you instructions, you carry them out. When a company announces a strategy, employees carry it out. When soldiers receive orders, they carry them out. The phrase emphasizes the doing — turning plans, ideas, or commands into real action and seeing them through to completion.
Vivid example: The event coordinator managed to carry out every single detail of the wedding exactly as the bride had envisioned, from the specific shade of the napkins to the timing of the fireworks, leaving the newlyweds in tears of joy at how perfect their special day had turned out.
In academic, scientific, and professional contexts, carry out is the standard phrase for conducting studies, experiments, surveys, or investigations. Scientists carry out research. Police carry out investigations. Companies carry out market surveys. You’ll see this constantly in news articles, academic papers, and official reports. It sounds more formal than “do” and emphasizes the systematic, thorough nature of the work.
Vivid example: The medical team decided to carry out extensive clinical trials before releasing the new medication to the public, testing it on thousands of volunteers over three years to ensure it was both safe and effective for patients of all ages.
When someone carries out their duties or promises, they fulfill them — they do what they committed to do. A doctor carries out their responsibility to patients. A parent carries out their obligations to their children. A politician might fail to carry out campaign promises. This usage highlights commitment and follow-through on moral or professional responsibilities.
Vivid example: Despite facing enormous pressure to cut corners and save money, the engineer refused to compromise and continued to carry out her professional duty to ensure the building met every safety standard, knowing that people’s lives depended on her integrity.
Unfortunately, carry out is often used in news reports about negative actions being executed. Criminals carry out robberies. Terrorists carry out attacks. Someone might carry out a threat they previously made. The phrase emphasizes that the action moved from intention to reality — the threat wasn’t empty; it was actually done.
Vivid example: After weeks of threatening to expose the company’s secrets, the disgruntled former employee finally carried out his warning by releasing confidential documents to journalists, causing a scandal that dominated headlines for the entire month and resulted in multiple executives losing their positions.
In American English, carry-out (often hyphenated or written as one word) refers to food you order at a restaurant but take home to eat rather than dining in. It’s similar to “takeout” or “takeaway.” You might call a Chinese restaurant for carry-out. A pizza place might advertise “Carry-out special: $9.99.” This usage is mainly American — British speakers typically say “takeaway.”
Vivid example: Too exhausted to cook after the long workday, she called her favorite Thai restaurant and ordered carry-out for dinner, picking up the steaming bags of pad thai and spring rolls on her drive home and eating straight from the containers while watching her favorite show on the couch.
In its most literal sense, carry out simply means to pick something up and take it outside or out of a place. You might carry out boxes from a building. Movers carry out furniture. This meaning is straightforward and physical, though less frequently used than the figurative meanings above.
Vivid example: The firefighters worked quickly to carry out as many valuable items as possible from the burning house, rescuing photo albums, laptops, and important documents while the family watched nervously from across the street, grateful for every saved possession.
Examples from the street:
“We need to carry out more research before making a decision.” → We need to do more investigation before we decide
“The builders carried out the work exactly as planned.” → The builders completed the job precisely as agreed
“He never carries out his promises.” → He never actually does what he says he’ll do
Carry out meaning to do/perform/complete — VERY COMMON:
– carry out research/a study/an investigation → conduct research or formal inquiry
– carry out a task/job/duty → perform work or responsibilities
– carry out a plan/order/instruction → execute what was planned or commanded
– carry out work/repairs/maintenance → do physical or practical work
– carry out a promise/threat → actually do what you promised or threatened
Carry out in formal/official contexts:
– carry out an attack/operation → execute a military or planned action
– carry out tests/experiments → conduct scientific procedures
– carry out an audit/inspection/review → perform an official examination
– carry out surgery/a procedure → perform medical operations
– carry out someone’s wishes → do what someone wanted (often after death)
Example Sentences
1. Scientists carried out research on the effects of social media on teenagers → Researchers conducted a study about how online platforms affect young people.
2. The government failed to carry out its election promises → The people in power didn’t actually do what they said they would during the campaign.
3. The police are carrying out an investigation into the robbery → The officers are conducting an inquiry into the theft.
4. He finally carried out his threat to quit → He actually did what he’d been warning he would do and left his job.
5. The builders will carry out repairs next week → The construction workers will do the fixing work starting Monday.
6. Nurses carry out many essential tasks that doctors don’t have time for → Medical staff perform lots of important jobs that physicians are too busy to do.
7. The company carried out a customer satisfaction survey → The business conducted a questionnaire asking clients how happy they were.
8. Soldiers must carry out orders even if they disagree → Military personnel have to do what they’re told even when they don’t like it.
9. The surgeon carried out a complex heart operation → The doctor performed a difficult procedure on the patient’s heart.
10. Her children carried out her final wishes after she passed away → Her kids did exactly what she had asked for after she died.
Learner Examples
1. I always carry out a quick assessment at the start of the year to see what level my students are at → I always do a short evaluation when term begins to find out how advanced my learners are.
2. Students often make plans to study more, but few actually carry out those plans once the weekend comes → Learners frequently intend to revise harder, but most don’t actually follow through on those intentions when Saturday arrives.
✔ Native usage tips
– “Carry out” sounds more formal than “do” — in everyday speech, people often just say “do research” or “do repairs”; “carry out” is more common in news, reports, and professional contexts
– Very common in journalism and official writing — you’ll constantly see “police carried out raids” or “scientists carried out experiments” in news articles; it’s standard reporting language
– Often passive in formal contexts — “The research was carried out by a team from Oxford” sounds more academic than “A team from Oxford did the research”
– “Carry out a promise” vs “keep a promise” — both work, but “carry out” emphasises actually doing the thing promised, while “keep” emphasises not breaking your word
– Separable phrasal verb — you can say “carry out the plan” or “carry the plan out,” but keeping them together sounds more natural in most cases
– Not used for simple everyday actions — you wouldn’t say “I carried out making breakfast”; it’s reserved for tasks, duties, official actions, and planned activities
✔ Similar expressions / words
– Do → much more casual and universal; works in almost all situations; “do research” is slightly less formal than “carry out research” but equally correct
– Conduct → equally formal or even more formal; often used with research, investigations, and surveys; “conduct an interview” and “carry out an interview” are interchangeable
– Perform → similar formality; often used for medical procedures, duties, and tasks; “perform surgery” is more common than “carry out surgery” in everyday speech