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

The cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal Saturday about 276 miles (444 kilometers) from the Paradip coast of eastern Odisha state, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

The three cetaceans who came to San Diego via a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 cargo plane are among 30 whales that had been at risk of being euthanized if they could not be relocated from Marineland. — Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Low water, high prices While some ships may wait to transit to avoid the higher fees, those carrying more time-sensitive cargo are likely to take the plunge and pay the steep transit prices, driving up the price of those goods. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Once removed by helicopter, the wreckage will likely have to be flown out on a cargo plane for examination. — Irene Byon, NBC news, 21 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