Carry (from the English word "carry" — "to bear," "to haul") is one of the basic roles in team-based games with character progression, most often the term is used in relation to Dota 2. A carry hero is usually weak at the start of a match: low damage, low health, and limited useful abilities. But with proper development — farming gold, buying items, gaining experience — they turn into a hero capable of single-handedly winning fights in the later stages of the game.
Hence the meaning of the word: the team literally "carries" such a player through the first part of the match, giving them priority on last-hitting creeps (units killed for gold and experience) and protecting them from enemies on the lane. In return, the carry is expected to "carry" the game on their own by the 25th–40th minute.
How it works in a match
Carries are usually placed on the lane where it's easier to farm safely — with less pressure from the opponent. While the carry accumulates resources, the rest of the team's heroes (supports, the mid laner, the offlaner) create space: setting up vision, fighting on other lanes, and preventing the enemy from disrupting the farm. This distribution of roles is part of the overall strategy built by the team's captain.
Playing a carry requires patience: for the first 10–15 minutes, they may barely participate in skirmishes, focusing solely on farming. A mistake at this stage — for example, losing experience due to dying — significantly slows down the team's entire plan, which is why supports are often responsible for the carry's safety, buying consumables and maintaining vision.
Where the term comes from
The word came from English-language MOBA gaming slang and became fixed in the Russian-language esports lexicon without translation. Besides its main meaning as a role, "carry" is sometimes used more broadly — as a verb or a characteristic of a player ("he's carrying everyone," "a carrying player"), referring to someone who single-handedly pulls the match through their play, regardless of what role they're playing.
In professional esports, the choice of a carry hero and their playstyle is one of the key elements of the draft (hero selection before a match), since the outcome of the entire game often depends on how quickly and safely they gain power.