carry oneself

Verb

carry oneself (third-person singular simple present carries oneself, present participle carrying oneself, simple past and past participle carried oneself)

1. (idiomatic) To move, especially emphasizing the manner in which one moves.
   • [Y]et all the vvhile they are the tradeſmens vvives, they endeavour to preſerve the distinction of their fancied character; carry themſelves as if they thought they were ſtill above their ſtation, […]1725 (indicated as 1726), [Daniel Defoe], “Letter XXI. Of the Tradesman Letting His Wife be Acquainted with His Business.”, in The Complete English Tradesman, in Familiar Letters; Directing Him in...
   • She was thin, but always carried herself bolt upright, and would never even lean back in her chair.1876 May – 1877 July, Anthony Trollope, “The Paragon’s Party at Bragton”, in The American Senator […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1877, →OCLC, page 78
2. (idiomatic) To behave, especially with respect to how one's speech, body language, facial expressions, and grooming convey one's opinion concerning oneself.
   • "Do I not carry myself well in the hour of defeat?" / "You do, Your Majesty." / "Am I pale, Le B—?" / "No—no—oh, no, not at all, Sire." / "Tell me the truth, Le B—. We must not let the enemy find us broken when they arrive. How do I look? Out with it."1895, John Kendrick Bangs, chapter 11, in Mr. Bonaparte of Corsica
   • [S]he carried herself with a little touch of hauteur—an air of aloofness, as it were.1921, Margaret Pedler, chapter 5, in The Splendid Folly

   Synonyms:

   bear oneself