payload

noun

pay·​load ˈpā-ˌlōd How to pronounce payload (audio)
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 payloadBeth Mole

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adding it up Cruz's section of the Senate reconciliation bill calls for the FAA to charge commercial space companies per pound of payload mass, beginning with 25 cents per pound in 2026 and increasing to $1.50 per pound in 2033. ArsTechnica, 15 June 2025 One Soviet submarine commander sent out into the Atlantic wrongly thought himself under depth charge attack and had to be persuaded not to fire his nuclear payload before getting hit. Marc Champion, Mercury News, 13 June 2025 Next will come arming the CAR proteins with a therapeutic payload and checking their efficacy in mice engineered to have Alzheimer's. Michael Franco, New Atlas, 12 June 2025 The drones are equipped with precision navigation and GPS sensors, and incorporate multiple payloads (as required by the customer and their application) including infrared and mid-wave (3-5 um wavelength) thermal cameras, and LiDAR imaging for 3D awareness and mapping. Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for payload

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of payload was in 1914

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Cite this Entry

“Payload.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payload. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

payload

noun
pay·​load ˈpā-ˌlōd How to pronounce payload (audio)
: something (as cargo, passengers, instruments, or explosives) carried by a vehicle in addition to what is necessary for its operation

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