carrier
noun
car·ri·er
| \ ˈker-ē-ər
, ˈka-rē-\
, ˈka-rē-\
Definition of carrier
2a
: an individual or organization engaged in transporting passengers or goods for hire
b
: a transportation line carrying mail between post offices
c
: a postal employee who delivers or collects mail
d
: one that delivers newspapers
e
: an entity (such as a hole or an electron) capable of carrying an electric charge
3a
: a container for carrying
b
: a device or machine that carries : conveyor
4
: aircraft carrier
5a
: a bearer and transmitter of a causative agent of an infectious disease
especially
: one who carries the causative agent of a disease systemically but is asymptomatic or immune to it
b
: an individual (such as one heterozygous for a recessive trait) having a specified gene that is not expressed or only weakly expressed in its phenotype
6a
: a usually inactive accessory substance : vehicle
a carrier for a drug or an insecticide
b
: a substance (such as a catalyst) by whose agency some element or group is transferred from one compound to another
7a
: an electromagnetic wave or alternating current whose modulations are used as communications signals (as in radio, telephonic, or telegraphic transmissions)
b
: a telecommunication company
8
: an organization acting as an insurer
Examples of carrier in a Sentence
I put the pet carrier in the car.
The airline is the nation's largest carrier.
Mosquitoes can be carriers of malaria.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Moreover, newspaper carriers distribute that final product to subscribers and readers. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "What defines a freelance worker? California bill would have major implications for the gig economy," 30 Aug. 2019 What to know if carriers do lose power or cellphones are damaged during Dorian Several Verizon Wireless stores throughout central Florida are providing the following services until Sept. 8: Free charging stations in stores for those without power. — Jake Newby, USA TODAY, "What to know about your cell service during Hurricane Dorian," 30 Aug. 2019 Plus, many carriers are offering buy-one-get-one free deals on phones, including the snappy new Samsung Galaxy Note10. — Doreen Christensen, sun-sentinel.com, "Try T-Mobile on your phone and number for free," 29 Aug. 2019 The airline joined Delta and JetBlue as carriers that don’t give travelers a deadline to redeem miles. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "Daywatch: Critics call on Lightfoot to keep promises, toddler killed in ‘unfortunate accident’ at Orland Square Mall and other things to know to start your day," 29 Aug. 2019 Starting Wednesday, any regular monthly customer who is on another carrier can pick up, or order online, a T-Mobile hot spot and test the voice and data service with their existing phone for a month. — BostonGlobe.com, "Unions target Cathay Pacific airline in Hong Kong protest," 28 Aug. 2019 But even with the signing in 2018 of the Single African Air Transport Market agreement aimed at opening the continent’s skies, carriers continue to face challenges in terms of taxation, costs, infrastructure, and regulation. — Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz Africa, "International carriers still dominate Africa’s most profitable air routes," 27 Aug. 2019 To upgrade from the current 4G network, carriers including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile will install hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment across the country. — Ryan Gillespie, orlandosentinel.com, "5G coverage coming to Orlando, bringing potentially 20,000 small-cell nodes," 23 Aug. 2019 The Federal Communications Commission has called on phone companies to block unwanted calls and expects carriers not to charge. — Washington Post, "Major carriers, state AGs will work to combat robocalls," 22 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'carrier.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for carrier
carrier
noun
English Language Learners Definition of carrier
: a container used to move something from one place to another
: a company that moves people or goods from one place to another
: a person or animal that can give a disease or a gene to others but is not affected by it
See the full definition for carrier in the English Language Learners Dictionary
carrier
noun
car·ri·er
| \ ˈker-ē-ər
\
\
Kids Definition of carrier
1
: a person or thing that carries
a mail carrier
2
: a person or business that transports passengers or goods or provides a certain service
3
: a person, animal, or plant that carries disease germs without showing symptoms and passes them on to others
carrier
noun
car·ri·er
| \ ˈkar-ē-ər
\
\
Medical Definition of carrier
1a
: a person, animal, or plant that harbors and transmits the causative agent of an infectious disease
especially
: one who carries the causative agent systemically but is asymptomatic or immune to it
a carrier of typhoid fever
— compare reservoir sense 2, vector entry 1 sense 2
b
: an individual possessing a specified gene and capable of transmitting it to offspring but not expressing or only weakly expressing its phenotype
especially
: one that is heterozygous for a recessive factor
2
: a usually inactive substance used in association with an active substance especially for aiding in the application of the active substance: as
a
: a support for a catalyst
b
: a vehicle serving especially as a diluent (as for an insecticide or a drug)
3
: a substance (as a catalyst) by whose agency some element or group is transferred from one compound to another
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carrier
noun
car·ri·er
Legal Definition of carrier
1
: an individual or entity engaged in transporting passengers or goods for hire by land, water, or air
specifically
: common carrier
2
: an insurer that assumes the risks of a policy that it issues to a policyholder