carryin' on
Acting loud, foolish, or raising a ruckus.
Also called carrying on.
Updated September 21, 2026
carryin' on pronunciation
/KAIR-ee-in ON/
Meaning
Carryin' on is what kids do when they whoop through the house after too much sugar, or what grown folks do when a party gets rowdy past midnight. In Southern and Appalachian talk it means noisy, foolish behavior that somebody else has to put up with. Depending on the tone, it can also mean sneaking around with somebody you shouldn't. Either way, Mama is not impressed.
How folks use it
- “Y'all quit carryin' on in that living room before you break something.”
- “They were carryin' on so loud we could hear them clear across the creek.”
Origin and etymology
Carry on for loud or wild behavior is older English and American slang. It settled deep in Southern and Appalachian speech as everyday porch talk for fussing, horsing around, or misbehaving. Dialect writers in the mountains still gloss it that way. The "affair" sense grew beside it as carry on with somebody.
Frequently asked questions
Can carryin' on mean cheating?
Yes. "Carryin' on with" somebody usually means a flirt or an affair. Plain "carryin' on" more often means noisy fooling around.