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

• 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

Additionally, the letter calls on Congressional support for the European Union to overturn its ban on Sulfuryl Fluoride, a pesticide used to fumigate Southern Yellow Pine wood chips on breakbulk cargo ships. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

Emirates confirmed to Reuters that its plane was leased from and operated by ACT Airlines, a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025

Emirates told Fox News Digital that the flight was not carrying cargo at the time of the incident. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025

In May 1966, thieves stole five pieces of antique gold and ruby jewelry from the airline cargo terminal at JFK Airport in New York City. —NPR, 20 Oct. 2025

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