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
Southwest Airlines hopes to add as many as 100 flights a day as part of gate expansions at Denver International Airport — a move that would make the Colorado city the busiest in the carrier's network. — Dallas News, "Southwest Airlines hopes to make Denver its busiest airport with 100 new flights," 15 Aug. 2019 American Airlines is apologizing to parents who say the carrier didn't notify them when the cross-country flight carrying their special-needs, unaccompanied minor children home from summer camp was delayed overnight on Friday. — Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY, "Special-needs kids stranded at the airport for 13 hours; American Airlines apologizes," 13 Aug. 2019 Its second largest owner is Air China, the state-run carrier. — Raymond Zhong, New York Times, "Cathay Pacific, Icon of Hong Kong’s Rise, Now Reflects China’s Grip," 11 Aug. 2019 These fares are how the traditional carriers go up against new budget airlines, Mutzabaugh said. — NBC News, "What you really need to know about those cheap airfares," 10 Aug. 2019 The new carrier is estimated to be able to carry slightly more aircraft. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "China’s First Homemade Aircraft Carrier Is Having Some Problems," 9 Aug. 2019 The carrier will use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on all three new routes. — Lauren Zumbach, chicagotribune.com, "American Airlines to fly from Chicago to Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic," 8 Aug. 2019 Firearms are typically considered allowable in places that don't display the sign, though store managers and property owners can ask the gun carrier to leave. — Russ Wiles, azcentral, "Arizona's open-carry gun law poses challenges for police, businesses," 7 Aug. 2019 Bosons include photons, the particles of light and the force carriers of electromagnetism, and gluons, the particles that convey the strong force. — Philip Ball, Scientific American, "Supergravity Snags Super Award: $3-Million Special Breakthrough Prize," 6 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