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

• burden
• draft
• freight
• haul
• lading
• load
• loading
• payload
• weight

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

The glass artifacts are speculated to have fallen from the cargo of a ship battered by a storm in the shallow, rocky area of the sea. —The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 18 July 2024

Ocean freight rates between the coasts appear to have been slightly impacted due to the cargo shifts thus far, but not at an outsized degree. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 17 July 2024

Others joined it after being added to the list and none has loaded cargo since. —Will Daniel, Fortune Europe, 10 July 2024

Read Next World Rare 2,000-year-old weapon linked to warrior people found in Kazakhstan, photos show July 09, 2024 5:44 PM Read Next World 400-year-old shipwreck with very rare and expensive cargo found in Croatia. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 10 July 2024

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

Kids Definition

cargo

noun

car·​go ˈkär-ˌgō 

plural cargoes or cargos

: the goods transported in a ship, airplane, or vehicle : freight