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

Buyers can also specify a Touring Pack with bespoke luggage designed to make use of the available cargo space. — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

The third-row seat is useful, cargo space is generous and the controls are easy to use. — John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026

Balor and Zephyr, two beluga whales, were transported from Ontario, Canada, to Atlanta via a Qatar Airways cargo plane. — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 15 Aug. 2026

There, satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows the Christophe de Margerie sidled up against a sprawling floating storage unit, in a formation typical of ship-to-ship cargo transfers. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 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