concealed-carry

IPA/kənˌsiːld ˈkæri/
IPA/kənˌsiːld ˈkæri/

concealed-carry — noun

1. carrying a loaded handgun in public under your clothes or inside a bag so other

1.nounC1
Definition

carrying a loaded handgun in public under your clothes or inside a bag so other people cannot see it, or the legal right to do this

Example

Texas allows concealed-carry without a permit for most adults over twenty-one.

concealed-carry without a permit (predicative noun phrase)

Naoko applied for a concealed-carry permit after her shop was robbed twice.

concealed-carry permit (attributive use before permit)

Common collocations
  • concealed-carry permit
  • concealed-carry law
  • concealed-carry holster
  • concealed-carry class
Synonyms
  • CCW

    abbreviation of 'carrying a concealed weapon'; used mainly in US police and legal writing

  • concealed weapon permit

    names the legal document rather than the practice

Antonyms
  • open-carry

    carrying a firearm where other people can clearly see it

Grammar Patterns

concealed-carry permit

concealed-carry law

support concealed-carry

Usage Note

Most often appears attributively before nouns like permit, law, holster, class, or training; the standalone noun usage is mainly in US legal and political writing. Distinguish from open-carry, where the gun is visible.

Common Mistakes

He carries a concealed-carry in his jacket.
He has a concealed handgun in his jacket.
concealed-carry names the practice or the right, not the gun itself.

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • concealed-carry permit
  • concealed-carry law
  • expand concealed-carry
  • support concealed-carry

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Concealed-carry is a modern American English compound formed from concealed (Latin concelare, 'to hide together') and carry (Old French carier, 'to move in a vehicle'). The phrase rose to common use in the United States during the late twentieth century as state governments began passing laws that gave private citizens the right to carry a hidden handgun in public. It now stands as a fixed term in US gun-rights debate, often contrasted with open-carry.

First known use

1982

1982, in the meaning defined above