payload

noun

pay·​load ˈpā-ˌlōd 

plural payloads

1

: the load carried by a vehicle exclusive of what is necessary for its operation

especially : the load carried by an aircraft or spacecraft consisting of people or things (such as passengers or instruments) necessary to the purpose of the flight

… rockets carrying … a payload of Starlink satellites.

—Rick Neale

Their objective was to size the airplane according to its intended payload.

—Clive Irving

2

: the weight of a payload

… the Bronco had a payload of 2000 pounds.

—Darryl Young

Maximum fuel load is 3,550 pounds, leaving a payload of just 360 pounds with full tanks.

—J. Mac McClellan

3

: the destructive component carried by a missile or bomb

… they did not fail to realize that a missile powerful enough to put a satellite into orbit could also deliver a nuclear payload to Washington, D.C., or New York, or Chicago, or any major American city.

—Alex Wellerstein

also : something likened to such a payload

This vulnerability could be exploited to deploy a ransomware payload …

—Carly Page

Thus, a potential pitfall for using adenoviruses as a vaccine delivery system is that a person's immune system may end up responding more to the adenovirus itself than the vaccine's genetic payload …

—Beth Mole

Synonyms of payload

• cargo
• load
• loading
• burden

Examples of payload in a Sentence

The truck is carrying a payload of 2,580 pounds.

the space shuttle can carry a maximum payload of approximately 50,000 pounds

Recent Examples on the Web

The strike marks the first time in more than a year that Moscow has unleashed the Oreshnik, which can contain multiple warheads and carry either conventional or nuclear payloads. —Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026

In an interview with Interesting Engineering, UEL researcher Daehyun Kim explained that SCARABS focuses on exploration reliability rather than experimental payloads. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026

As an analysis by SpaceNews explains, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, one of the most affordable rides to space, charges customers about $2,500 per kilogram of payload. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Jan. 2026

That Russian instrument will be integrated into Chang'e 7, along with other foreign payloads from such countries as Egypt, Bahrain, Italy, Switzerland and Thailand. —Leonard David, Space.com, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for payload

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

Kids Definition

payload

noun

pay·​load ˈpā-ˌlōd 

: something (as cargo, passengers, instruments, or explosives) carried by a vehicle in addition to what is necessary for its operation