carrier

carrier — noun

1. a person, company, or device that moves people, goods, or messages from one plac

1.nounB1
Definition

a person, company, or device that moves people, goods, or messages from one place to another — for example, a postal worker delivering letters or a luggage rack on a bicycle.

Example

The postal carrier delivers mail to our street every morning before nine.

postal carrier = mail-delivery worker

A luggage carrier on the bus held all the travelers' suitcases during the trip.

luggage carrier = rack for bags

Common collocations
  • mail carrier
  • freight carrier
  • luggage carrier
  • bike carrier
  • pet carrier
Synonyms
  • transporter

    more formal and usually refers to a vehicle or company, not a person

  • haulier

    British English, specifically for goods transported by road

  • bearer

    formal, usually for documents, messages, or titles, not goods

Antonyms
  • recipient

    a person who receives what the carrier delivers

Usage Note

Frequently used in compound nouns such as mail carrier, luggage carrier, and freight carrier. The first word specifies what is being carried.

Common Mistakes

The carrier took my order at the restaurant.
The waiter took my order at the restaurant.
carrier means a person or thing that moves something from place to place, not someone who serves food.

2. a company that moves passengers or goods from place to place, especially an airl

2.nounB2
Definition

a company that moves passengers or goods from place to place, especially an airline that operates flights between cities or countries.

Example

Low-cost carriers offer cheaper tickets by reducing in-flight services.

low-cost carrier = budget airline

The carrier announced new direct flights between Taipei and Osaka starting next month.

Common collocations
  • low-cost carrier
  • flag carrier
  • full-service carrier
  • budget carrier
  • shipping carrier
Synonyms
  • airline

    the most common synonym; specific to air transport

  • shipper

    focuses on the sender of goods rather than the transport company itself

  • operator

    broader term; can refer to any transport business (bus, train, ferry)

Usage Note

Commonly modified by adjectives such as low-cost, budget, full-service, or flag (flag carrier = nationally owned airline). Often refers to airlines but also works for shipping and rail companies.

Common Mistakes

The carrier was late because of heavy rain.' (when talking about a single taxi driver)
The taxi driver was late because of heavy rain.
carrier for a transport company; use 'driver' for a single vehicle operator.

3. a large vehicle, ship, or aircraft that the military uses to transport soldiers,

3.nounB2
Definition

a large vehicle, ship, or aircraft that the military uses to transport soldiers, tanks, or equipment to where they are needed.

Example

The army sent an armored personnel carrier to bring the soldiers safely to the base.

armored personnel carrier = troop transport vehicle

A troop carrier landed on the beach and unloaded a dozen soldiers.

troop carrier = ship or vehicle for soldiers

Common collocations
  • troop carrier
  • personnel carrier
  • armored carrier
  • helicopter carrier
  • equipment carrier
Synonyms
  • transport

    shorter form used in military contexts (e.g. 'troop transport')

  • transporter

    more general; not limited to military vehicles

Usage Note

Almost always appears as part of a compound noun such as troop carrier, personnel carrier, or helicopter carrier. The compound tells you what the vehicle transports.

Common Mistakes

The delivery carrier brought our military uniforms.
The delivery truck brought our military uniforms.
carrier in the military sense refers to combat vehicles, not delivery services.

4. an informal, shortened way of referring to an aircraft carrier — a large warship

4.nounB2
Definition

an informal, shortened way of referring to an aircraft carrier — a large warship with a flat deck where military planes can take off and land.

Example

The carrier sailed into the harbor with fifty fighter jets on its deck.

carrier (informal) = aircraft carrier

Pilots train for months before they can land on a moving carrier at sea.

Common collocations
  • navy carrier
  • carrier deck
  • carrier group
  • carrier pilot
  • carrier strike group
Synonyms
  • aircraft carrier

    the full, formal term; use this in formal writing

  • warship

    broader category that includes carriers, destroyers, and battleships

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 3 (MILITARY VEHICLE): sense 3 refers to vehicles that carry troops or equipment on land or sea, while this sense refers specifically to the aircraft carrier warship. Context like harbor, pilot, deck, or navy makes the meaning clear.

Common Mistakes

The carrier delivered supplies to the soldiers in the field.' (if meaning an aircraft carrier)
The transport plane delivered supplies to the soldiers.
an aircraft carrier is a warship for launching planes, not for ground supply delivery.

5. a business that sells mobile phone and internet access to customers, letting the

5.nounB2
Definition

a business that sells mobile phone and internet access to customers, letting them make calls, send texts, and go online.

Example

My carrier sent a text message warning me that I was almost out of data.

carrier = mobile network provider

Priya switched to a different carrier because the coverage in her area was poor.

Common collocations
  • mobile carrier
  • network carrier
  • switch carriers
  • carrier lock
  • wireless carrier
Synonyms
  • provider

    more general term; can be used for internet, phone, or TV services

  • network

    informal; often used as in 'which network are you on?'

  • operator

    formal term, especially in business and regulatory contexts

Usage Note

Commonly called a 'network carrier' or 'mobile carrier' in business contexts. Customers 'switch carriers' when changing providers. A phone 'locked to a carrier' can only use that provider's SIM card.

Common Mistakes

I called the carrier to report a broken sink.
I called the plumber to report a broken sink.
a carrier provides phone/internet service, not home repairs.

6. a bag made of paper or plastic, fitted with two handles, that stores give out so

6.nounB1
Definition

a bag made of paper or plastic, fitted with two handles, that stores give out so customers can carry away what they have bought.

Example

The shop assistant put the books into a sturdy paper carrier with a logo.

paper carrier = paper shopping bag

Plastic carriers are no longer free at many supermarkets in Taiwan.

Common collocations
  • paper carrier
  • plastic carrier
  • carrier bag
  • reusable carrier
  • carrier handles
Synonyms
  • carrier bag

    British English term; interchangeable with 'carrier'

  • shopping bag

    more common in American English

  • tote bag

    usually a stronger fabric bag, often reusable

Usage Note

Most common in British English. In American English, 'shopping bag' or 'paper bag' is more typical. Often called a 'carrier bag' in the UK.

7. an individual — human or animal — who carries a disease or a genetic condition i

7.nounB2
Definition

an individual — human or animal — who carries a disease or a genetic condition inside their body and can transmit it to others, often without feeling ill or showing signs.

Example

A carrier of the flu virus can infect others before feeling sick themselves.

carrier of the flu virus = asymptomatic transmitter

Genetic tests showed that Priya is a carrier of the sickle cell trait.

carrier of the sickle cell trait = genetic carrier

Common collocations
  • genetic carrier
  • carrier of a disease
  • asymptomatic carrier
  • carrier of a gene
  • silent carrier
Synonyms
  • transmitter

    focuses on the act of passing something on, not the state of carrying

  • vector

    specifically an organism (like a mosquito) that carries and transmits a pathogen

  • asymptomatic carrier

    medical term for a carrier who shows no symptoms

Antonyms
  • patient

    someone who shows symptoms of the disease

  • immune person

    someone who cannot contract or transmit the disease

Usage Note

In medicine, a distinction exists between 'asymptomatic carrier' (has the infection but no symptoms) and 'genetic carrier' (has a recessive gene that may be passed to offspring). The word implies the potential to transmit, not necessarily that transmission occurs.

Common Mistakes

The carrier was coughing and had a fever.
The patient was coughing and had a fever.
a carrier typically does NOT show symptoms; someone with symptoms is a patient or infected person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Carrier (sense 2) refers broadly to any company that transports passengers or goods. 'Airline' is the most specific synonym — it applies only to air travel, while carrier can also cover shipping, rail, and trucking firms. 'Shipper' focuses on the sender who arranges transport rather than the company that moves the items; a shipper hires a carrier. 'Operator' is a broader term used in bus, train, and ferry contexts ('the bus operator raised fares'). 'Haulier' is primarily British English and refers specifically to road freight companies. For example: 'We used a budget carrier for the flight' (carrier = airline), but 'The haulier delivered the building materials by truck' (haulier = road-freight company). For most everyday situations, 'carrier' and 'airline' are interchangeable when referring to air travel, but carrier is preferred for other transport modes.

airline ↗shipperoperator ↗haulier

Common collocations

Nouns

  • carrier bag
  • carrier pigeon
  • carrier wave
  • carrier frequency

Phrases

  • act as a carrier
  • switch carriers
  • be a carrier of

Prepositions

  • carrier of [disease/gene/trait]
  • carrier for [company/network]

Etymology

LatinAnglo-Norman FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Carrier comes from the Middle English word 'carere' or 'carier', which was formed from 'carry' (to transport) + the suffix '-er' (indicating a person or thing that does something). 'Carry' itself traces back through Anglo-Norman French 'carier' (to transport in a vehicle) to the Latin 'carrus' (a wagon or cart). The word has been used in English since the 1300s. Early meanings focused on people who transported goods for payment. By the 1600s, it expanded to ships and vehicles used for military transport. The medical sense (someone who can transmit a disease) appeared in the late 1800s. The shopping-bag sense emerged in British English in the mid-1900s.