freighter

noun

freight·​er ˈfrā-tər 

1

: one that loads or charters and loads a ship

2

: shipper

3

: a ship or airplane used chiefly to carry freight

Examples of freighter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s nothing like watching freighters stacked high with shipping containers squeezing through the century-old locks of the Panama Canal at the Miraflores Visitors Center. — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026

The ship is similar in size and capacity to the Sanchi, an Iranian ship that collided with a freighter off China in 2018 in the world’s worst oil tanker disaster in decades. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026

Ground handling and tarmac loading have fully resumed, though flight schedules will require another 24-to-48 hours to clear passenger and freighter backlogs. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 11 Aug. 2026

The banana trade’s leading companies maintained fleets of freighters to ferry fruit north from Central America and the Antilles. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

freight entry 2 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for freighter

• cater
• crater
• frater
• gator
• grater
• greater
• hater
• krater
• later
• plater
• prater
• rater

Kids Definition

freighter

noun

freight·​er ˈfrāt-ər 

1

: a person who carries or ships freight

2

: a ship or airplane used chiefly to carry freight