carry on

carry on

to behave badly or mischievously. •

The children always carry on when the teacher's out of the room.

•

Stop carrying on and go to sleep!

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{v.} 1. To work at; be busy with; manage. * /Bill and his father carried on a hardware business./ * /Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith carried on a long correspondence with each other./ 2. To keep doing as before; continue. * /After his father died, Bill carried on with the business./ * /The colonel told the soldiers to carry on while he was gone./ * /Though tired and hungry, the Scouts carried on until they reached camp./ Compare: BEAR UP(2), GO ON. 3a. {informal} To behave in a noisy, foolish, and troublesome manner. * /The boys carried on in the swimming pool until the lifeguard ordered them out./ 3b. {informal} To make too great a show of feeling, such as anger, grief, and pain. * /John carried on for ten minutes after he hit his thumb with the hammer./ Compare: TAKE ON(4). 4. {informal} To act in an immoral or scandalous way; act disgracefully. * /The townspeople said that he was carrying on with a neighbor girl./