Carry out means to do a piece of planned work: research, a survey, an experiment, a check, repairs. You can also carry out instructions or orders, meaning you do what you were told to do.
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carry out + research/a survey/an experiment/checks; carry out + a plan/instructions/repairs; be carried out by
- Our team carried out a customer survey before we redesigned the website.
- The students carried out a simple experiment to see how light affects plant growth.
- Repairs to the bridge will be carried out at night to avoid traffic jams.
What changed
First versionLast year our lab held an experiment with new building materials.
RevisionLast year our lab carried out an experiment with new building materials.
Hold may seem to fit, but it is used for events with participants: hold a meeting, hold a conference. An experiment, research or a survey is not an event you host; it is work you do, so carry out is needed.
In conversation, do often replaces carry out: We did a survey. Carry out sounds more formal and suits reports and essays better: The survey was carried out in March.
Your turn
The new lift has never been tested, so tomorrow the engineers will ___ its first safety check.
Show the answer
carry out — The lift has never been tested, and the check still needs to be done, so carry out is right. Carry on means to continue, and you can only continue something that has already started.
Describe a survey, experiment or check you did at work or in your studies. Say what you were checking and what you learned.
For my course project, I carried out a survey of 40 classmates about their sleep and found out that most of them go to bed after midnight.
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