payload

noun

pay·​load ˈpā-ˌlōd 

plural payloads

1

: the load carried by a vehicle exclusive of what is necessary for its operation

especially : the load carried by an aircraft or spacecraft consisting of people or things (such as passengers or instruments) necessary to the purpose of the flight

NASA's first post-Challenger launching is tentatively set for May 1. Its payload, the NOAA-G weather satellite, will be lofted by an expendable Scout rocket.

—J. Eberhart

Their objective was to size the airplane according to its intended payload.

—Clive Irving

2

: the weight of a payload

… the Bronco had a payload of 2000 pounds.

—Darryl Young

Maximum fuel load is 3,550 pounds, leaving a payload of just 360 pounds with full tanks.

—J. Mac McClellan

3

: the destructive component carried by a missile or bomb

… they did not fail to realize that a missile powerful enough to put a satellite into orbit could also deliver a nuclear payload to Washington, D.C., or New York, or Chicago, or any major American city.

—Alex Wellerstein

also : something likened to such a payload

American computer security experts were first to spot another worm whose virus payload was contained within an e-mail that masqueraded as a virus alert from Symantec.

—Pacific Business News

Thus, a potential pitfall for using adenoviruses as a vaccine delivery system is that a person's immune system may end up responding more to the adenovirus itself than the vaccine's genetic payload …

—Beth Mole

Synonyms

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

Examples of payload in a Sentence

The truck is carrying a payload of 2,580 pounds.

the space shuttle can carry a maximum payload of approximately 50,000 pounds

Recent Examples on the Web

Also flying were payloads for Astranis Space Technologies and Gravity Space headed for geostationary orbits. —Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024

The launch, which carried a 300-kilogram payload—the heaviest ever for Iran—included an 'orbital propulsion system' and the Fakhr-1 satellite, reportedly for military use. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

It’s also got a decent payload and towing capacity for a vehicle of its size. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024

Full global-scale deployment of SAI would require the construction of at least 100 new high-altitude jets that could carry and release a heavy payload on a 24/7 basis at various latitudes, costing somewhere in the region of $18 billion to $35 billion a year. —Lara Williams, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

payload

noun

pay·​load ˈpā-ˌlōd 

: something (as cargo, passengers, instruments, or explosives) carried by a vehicle in addition to what is necessary for its operation