freight

1 of 2

noun

ˈfrāt 

often attributive

1

a

: the compensation paid for the transportation of goods

b

: cost

help pay the freight

2

a

: goods to be shipped : cargo

The freight arrived by steamboat.

b

: load, burden

The man staggered under a freight of small logs in a basket.

c

: meaning sense 3, significance

words that carry psychological freight, such as "family," "work," and "sex"

3

a

: the ordinary transportation of goods by a common carrier and distinguished from express

b

: a train designed or used for such transportation

an eastbound freight

freight

2 of 2

verb

freighted; freighting; freights

transitive verb

1

a

: to load with goods for transportation

b

: burden, charge

freighted with memories

2

: to transport or ship by freight

Synonyms

Noun

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

Verb

• burden
• encumber
• lade
• laden
• load
• lumber
• saddle
• weight

Examples of freight in a Sentence

Noun

trains that carry both passengers and freight

The freight arrived by steamboat.

The order was shipped by freight.

Verb

it took six hours to freight the cargo airplane

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s a sequence mid-game that’s ripped straight from Uncharted 2 where Eve must escape a dangling train car as plummeting debris and freight rain around her. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024

While a fuel cell is comparable in size to a diesel engine, a battery big enough for long-haul trucks adds weight and size and cuts down on the total freight load the truck can deliver. —Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English freghte, freight, freyte, freythe "transport of goods, charge for transportation, cargo of a ship," borrowed from Middle Dutch vrecht "cargo, charge for transport," going back to West Germanic *fraihti-, probably "what is given over or consigned to someone" (whence also Old Frisian fracht, frecht "charge for freight," Middle Low German vracht [vrecht- in vrechtman "consigner of a cargo"], Old High German frêht "reward, recompense") from *fra- "away, off" (going back to Indo-European *pro-) + Germanic *aihti- "property, possession" (whence Old English ǣht "possession, [in plural] property, goods," Old Saxon ēht "property," Old Icelandic ætt, átt "kindred, pedigree," Gothic aihtins [accusative plural] "property"), derivative, with the abstract noun suffix *-ti-, from the base of *aigan "to possess" — more at for entry 1, owe

Note: Compare fraught entry 2 and see note there.

Verb

Middle English freighten, derivative of freghte, freight freight entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing freight

• freight car
• freight train
• pay the freight

Kids Definition

freight

1 of 2 noun

ˈfrāt 

1

: the amount paid (as to a shipping company) for carrying goods

2

a

: goods or cargo carried by ship, train, truck, or airplane

b

: the carrying of goods from one place to another by vehicle

ship the order by freight

3

: a train that carries freight

freight

2 of 2 verb

1

: to load for transportation

2

: to ship by freight