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

He was believed to be towing a cargo pallet, Yakel said. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

The historic waterfront stretch is constructed from 19th-century cobblestones and chock-full of cute restaurants, bars, galleries, and shops, all offering spectacular views of the Savannah River and docking cargo ships. —Cailey Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2026

The vessel was carrying a cargo for Vitol, Bloomberg reported last week. —Weilun Soon Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 21 Jan. 2026

The two bench tops also fold out of the way, and the bases fold in via accordion-style panels, allowing the front-end of the trailer to stow cargo while driving. —New Atlas, 21 Jan. 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