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While I was searching on Google I came across some instances of carry out and I was particularly attracted by the following:

The thief comes for the precious things, not to carry out the rubbish.

According to MW, carry out means:

1 : to bring to a successful issue : complete, accomplish 'carried out the assignment' 2 : to put into execution 'carry out a plan' 3 : to continue to an end or stopping point

Which of the MW defintions do you take to explain the meaning of carry out in the above sentence? I have thought of #1, but I am unsure of this choice because it would imply that the rubbish would be equivalent to the assignment.

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    None of the above. The words are used in their ordinary sense of transport (rubbish) out of (the home) to whatever receptacle is designated for its deposit, not as a 'phrasal verb'. Feb 22, 2013 at 22:00
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    Yup – every once in a while, what looks like a phrasal verb is really just two words put together.
    – J.R.
    Feb 22, 2013 at 22:35

1 Answer 1

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None of those: carry out here is used in the sense of take something out of home, rather than the sense of execute [a plan].

It's just the same as take out the trash. (Carry out the) rubbish is mostly used in British English, while American English prefers (Take out the) trash.

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    I object to the statement "which is the most commonly used sentence". "Take out the trash" is the most common in American English, but "Carry out the rubbish" is much more common than "take out the trash" in British English.
    – Matt
    Feb 22, 2013 at 22:53

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