cargo

noun

car·​go ˈkär-(ˌ)gō 

plural cargoes or cargos

: the goods or merchandise conveyed in a ship, airplane, or vehicle : freight

Dock workers were unloading the ship's cargo.

Synonyms

• burden
• draft
• freight
• haul
• lading
• load
• loading
• payload
• weight

Examples of cargo in a Sentence

The ship was carrying a cargo of crude oil.

we put all of our cargo on the pack animals and began our journey through the canyon

Recent Examples on the Web

German officials called it sabotage and the Danish navy stopped a Chinese cargo ship that passed over both cables. —Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024

In an aerial view, cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. —Jane Pauley, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2024

Stowaways in the unpressurized wheel houses and cargo holds of planes have to contend with freezing conditions, with temperatures that can reach between minus 58 degrees and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit, Reuters reported. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024

An undersea cable breach would reroute to satellites 24 Dec 2024 5 min read Edmon de Haro On 18 February 2024, a missile attack from the Houthi militants in Yemen hit the cargo ship Rubymar in the Red Sea. —IEEE Spectrum, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, load, charge, from cargar to load, from Late Latin carricare — more at charge entry 1

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cargo

• cargo cult
• cargo pants
• cargo pocket

Kids Definition

cargo

noun

car·​go ˈkär-ˌgō 

plural cargoes or cargos

: the goods transported in a ship, airplane, or vehicle : freight