Word.ws English Dictionary

carrying the torch

carrying the torch is the present participle and gerund of carry the torch.

Meaning of carry the torch

Verb

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

  1. (idiomatic) To continue the work or legacy (of a cause); to crusade for a cause.
    • To many it meant that the United States was the chosen nation, selected by God to carry the torch of freedom and battle the evil forces of Communism.2005, Richard J. Ellis, To the Flag, pages 138 – 139
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see carry, the, torch.

Questions about carrying the torch

What is carrying the torch the present participle and gerund of?
Carrying the torch is the present participle and gerund of carry the torch.

Words near carrying the torch in the dictionary

  1. carrying the can
  2. carrying the day
  3. carrying the mail
  4. carrying the mantle
  5. carrying the message to Garcia
  6. carrying the torch
  7. carrying the world before one
  8. carrying through
  9. carrying up
  10. carrying violation
  11. carrying violations

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: carrying the torch (page history and authors); carry the torch (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “carrying the torch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/carrying_the_torch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.