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 of cargo

• payload
• burden
• loading
• load
• freight

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

Ukraine’s General Staff said 21 tankers used to transport oil and petroleum products were damaged overnight, in addition to four tugboats, two cargo ships and a dredging vessel. — ABC News, 11 July 2026

Ukraine’s drone forces chief Robert Brovdi said his units had struck ‌21 fuel tanker vessels ​in the Sea of Azov overnight, as well ‌as seven other cargo and support ships, ​bringing the total up to 76 vessels struck this week. — Reuters, NBC news, 11 July 2026

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the latest flights demonstrate the potential of next-generation aviation technologies for future medical cargo delivery. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 July 2026

Three former crew members of a Thai cargo ship struck in the Strait of Hormuz in March filed a lawsuit Friday against the vessel’s operator over labor rights violations and unfair dismissal. — Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

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

Rhymes for cargo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

cargo

noun

car·​go ˈkär-ˌgō 

plural cargoes or cargos

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