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

Two drones were spotted flying over a German military base in the western part of the country earlier this week, just two days after a drone carrying explosives was found at a key cargo airport, the German Armed Forces said on Saturday. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Violations of the restrictions will carry fines of up to 20% of the value of the vessel’s cargo, Fars added. — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

The bike arrives fully equipped, with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, integrated lights, full fenders, a rear cargo rack, and a bottle-cage mount. — New Atlas, 7 Aug. 2026

Threats Are Outpacing Change In The Merchant Marine Complex and wide-ranging assaults on cargo vessels are consigned virtually every peacetime cargo-carrier’s operational assumptions into a messy obsolescence. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 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