freighter

noun

freight·​er ˈfrā-tər 

1

: one that loads or charters and loads a ship

2

: shipper

3

: a ship or airplane used chiefly to carry freight

Examples of freighter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the age of nine, he was shipped on a lumber freighter from Russia to England; a year later, he was sent to the United States. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

This type of maritime migration is different from the once-common arrivals of rafts and other homemade vessels that Cubans are known to use to escape their homeland, and the overloaded freighters and sailboats used by people fleeing Haiti. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

Amazon controls the aircraft operated by 21 Air on its behalf, although the underlying ownership and leasing arrangements vary by freighter. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

The freighter will deliver this cargo three days after launch, if all goes according to plan. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

freight entry 2 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for freighter

• cater
• crater
• frater
• gator
• grater
• greater
• hater
• krater
• later
• plater
• prater
• rater

Kids Definition

freighter

noun

freight·​er ˈfrāt-ər 

1

: a person who carries or ships freight

2

: a ship or airplane used chiefly to carry freight