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

Musk has successfully launched ambitious projects before, like developing mass market electric vehicles and creating reusable rocket engines to carry people and cargo into space. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026

The data and experience gained from the program could inform the development of future eVTOL aircraft capable of transporting people and cargo within and between cities. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026

Those who live far away, like Raina Moss, prefer to fly with Alaska Airlines, though a cold weather embargo issued last week that prevented dogs from flying in the cargo space caused some last-minute panic. —Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026

While stylish, efficient and tech-forward, the NX Hybrid offers less rear seat and cargo space than some of its competitors. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 4 Feb. 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