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

… rockets carrying … a payload of Starlink satellites.

—Rick Neale

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

This vulnerability could be exploited to deploy a ransomware payload …

—Carly Page

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 of payload

• cargo
• load
• loading
• burden

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

This move toward liquid hydrogen systems will eventually unlock the payload and range necessary for long-distance medical missions and emergency response. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 May 2026

It’s intended to put nearly half a metric ton of payload into low-Earth orbit. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026

But the company's target is liquid hydrogen (LH2), which stores far more energy in the same space and is essential for long-range missions carrying the kinds of payloads needed for organ transport. —Omar Kardoudi may 11, New Atlas, 11 May 2026

So far, Starship has launched carrying a small suite of Starlink satellite mass simulator payloads — not an astronaut-friendly interior. —Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for payload

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

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