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

Any serious assault depends on a huge conveyor belt of civilian ferries, deck cargo vessels, pier sections, ports, marshaling yards, beaches, fuel points and unloading nodes. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

In the time since, the ocean carrier has been moving Pakistan cargo via Salalah by using feeder capacity. —Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2026

Even among ships that are compliant with sanctions, such as Greek bulk carrier cargo ships that have transited the strait, most have some ties to Iran. —CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

Ports that pulsed with the churn of cargo have fallen still, the din of commerce replaced by the soft rhythm of waves. —ABC News, 1 Apr. 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