plural carriers
2
a
: 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
3
a
: a container for carrying
b
: a device or machine that carries : conveyor
4
5
a
: 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 compare reservoir sense 3a, vector entry 1 sense 2a
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
6
a
: 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
7
a
: 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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Chinese carriers were given approval by US officials to make 50 weekly round trips to and from the United States, up from 35, from March 31.
—
Diksha Madhok, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The largest carrier at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport announced plans to fly a once-daily route to Provo, Utah, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, starting in October 2024.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Other than the preferential visas, sanctions on Russian air carriers and reciprocal bans on Western airlines have slashed the destinations where Russian nationals can escape their frigid winter, making already-popular Thailand an easier choice.
—TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
But elsewhere, the company has struck partnerships with local carriers, with the aim of using their licensed radio spectrum to send the internet data to customers' phones.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
The carrier is planning new lounges in 2024 at La Guardia, JFK, Charlotte, Seattle, Los Angeles and Boston.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines — the two U.S. carriers that fly the Max 9 — also reported finding loose bolts and other hardware in other panels, suggesting that quality issues with the door plugs were not limited to one plane.
—David Hamilton, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
The Carrier Agent Most CBD oils will have a carrier agent of either olive oil or coconut oil.
—Chrono Therapeutics, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
American Airlines is the latest carrier to ensure inflight Wi-Fi is available from takeoff to touchdown.
—Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2024
Diksha Madhok, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The largest carrier at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport announced plans to fly a once-daily route to Provo, Utah, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, starting in October 2024.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Other than the preferential visas, sanctions on Russian air carriers and reciprocal bans on Western airlines have slashed the destinations where Russian nationals can escape their frigid winter, making already-popular Thailand an easier choice.
—TIME, 11 Apr. 2024
But elsewhere, the company has struck partnerships with local carriers, with the aim of using their licensed radio spectrum to send the internet data to customers' phones.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
The carrier is planning new lounges in 2024 at La Guardia, JFK, Charlotte, Seattle, Los Angeles and Boston.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines — the two U.S. carriers that fly the Max 9 — also reported finding loose bolts and other hardware in other panels, suggesting that quality issues with the door plugs were not limited to one plane.
—David Hamilton, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
The Carrier Agent Most CBD oils will have a carrier agent of either olive oil or coconut oil.
—Chrono Therapeutics, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
American Airlines is the latest carrier to ensure inflight Wi-Fi is available from takeoff to touchdown.
—Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carrier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near carrier
Cite this Entry
“Carrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carrier. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
carrier
noun
car·ri·er
ˈkar-ē-ər 
1
: one that carries
mail carrier
2
: a person or firm engaged in transporting passengers or goods
3
a
: a bearer and transmitter of disease germs
especially
: one who carries germs of a disease (as typhoid fever) in his or her system but is immune to the disease
b
: one who has a gene for a trait or condition (as sickle-cell anemia) that is not expressed in his or her system
4
: an electric wave or alternating current that is used to send signals (as for radio, television, telephone, and telegraph)
Medical Definition
carrier
noun
car·ri·er
ˈkar-ē-ər
1
a
: 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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