carry over
B2Neutral to formal; common in business, accounting, academic, and everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To transfer or postpone something (like a task, amount, or feeling) from one time, place, or context to another.
Can refer to the continuation of a condition, influence, or accounting balance; the persistence of unused benefits or leave; or the metaphorical transfer of emotions or attitudes.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a phrasal verb, but can function as a noun ('carryover') in specific contexts (e.g., finance, leave). The sense is one of continuation or transfer across a boundary (temporal, conceptual, or spatial).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use it in finance, work, and general contexts. The noun form 'carryover' is slightly more common in American English.
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties. In accounting/sports, it's a standard technical term.
Frequency
Equally frequent in both varieties, with high usage in shared professional domains.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[NP] carry over [NP] (to/into [NP])[NP] be carried over (from [NP])Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Don't carry your work stress over into your home life.”
- “The team's momentum carried over from the first half.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
In accounting: 'We can carry over the loss to next year's tax return.'
Academic
In research: 'The bias from the initial sample carried over into the final analysis.'
Everyday
Describing habits: 'His tidiness at work carries over to his home.'
Technical
In computing/data: 'The header information is carried over to each subsequent page.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- You can carry over up to 5 days of holiday to next year.
- The positive atmosphere carried over into the meeting.
American English
- You can carry over a credit card balance, but there's a fee.
- Her frustration from the commute carried over to her workday.
adverb
British English
- (Not standard; no common adverbial use)
American English
- (Not standard; no common adverbial use)
adjective
British English
- The carry-over stock was stored in the warehouse. (less common, usually hyphenated attributively)
American English
- We have a carryover provision in our benefits plan. (often as noun modifier)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I will carry over my homework to tomorrow.
- We can carry over this game to next week.
- If you don't use all your data, some may carry over to next month.
- His happiness carried over to his friends.
- The company allows employees to carry over unused vacation days.
- The confidence she gained in training carried over into the competition.
- Tax losses can be carried over to offset future profits.
- The stylistic motifs of the earlier period were carried over into his later works.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a worker physically CARRYING a heavy box OVER the threshold from December 31st into January 1st—representing carrying over tasks or leave into the new year.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME/QUALITIES ARE OBJECTS THAT CAN BE TRANSPORTED (across temporal boundaries).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation with 'переносить' for physical objects; it's for abstract transfer. Don't confuse with 'carry out' (выполнять). The Russian 'переходить' (to go over) is not a precise equivalent.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'carry over' for physically moving an object (use 'carry across'). Incorrect preposition: 'carry over on the next page' (use 'to'). Confusing with 'carry on' (continue doing).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'carry over' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is neutral. It's standard in formal finance/HR contexts but equally natural in everyday speech about feelings or tasks.
'Carry over' means to transfer or postpone. 'Carry out' means to perform or execute a task (e.g., carry out a plan).
Yes, especially in American English, as one word: 'carryover' (e.g., 'a tax carryover', 'leave carryover').
'Into' (carry over into a new period), 'to' (carry over to next week), and 'from' (carried over from last year).