payload

play

noun pay·load \ˈpā-ˌlōd\

Definition of payload

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 things (such as passengers or instruments) necessary to the purpose of the flight
2 : the weight of a payload

See payload defined for English-language learners

See payload defined for kids

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 of payload from the Web

When completed, the airship will become the world's largest aircraft at about 650 feet long, although its payload is not known, according to the Guardian.

— hamza shaban, chicagotribune.com, "Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly building $100 million 'air yacht' to help the poor", 3 June 2017
The Stratolaunch aircraft weighs 500,000 pounds (226,799 kilograms) empty, can carry 250,000 pounds (113,399 kilograms) of fuel, and with payload can take off at a maximum weight of 1.3 million pounds (589,676 kilograms).

— john antczak, The Seattle Times, "Enormous Stratolaunch aircraft rolled out for first time", 1 June 2017
The Stratolaunch aircraft weighs 500,000 pounds (226,799 kilograms) empty, can carry 250,000 pounds (113,399 kilograms) of fuel, and with payload can take off at a maximum weight of 1.3 million pounds (589,676 kilograms).

— Washington Post, "Enormous Stratolaunch aircraft rolled out for first time", 1 June 2017
The probe’s payload will be shrouded in a 4.5-inch thick carbon-composite shield capable of withstanding temperatures of nearly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,377 degrees Celsius).

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "NASA Is Launching a Probe to a Star", 31 May 2017
Adversaries of Iran have long been concerned about its space program, largely because the rocket science used to launch a human payload could also apply to a nuclear warhead delivered via a ballistic missile.

— rick gladstone, New York Times, "Iran Drops Plan to Send Human Into Space, Citing Cost", 31 May 2017
The nefarious nature of the programs went unnoticed in large part, according to Checkpoint, because its malware payload was downloaded from a non-Google server after the programs were installed.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "Android Malware ‘Judy’ Hits as Many as 36.5 Million Phones", 28 May 2017
The Electron is small — about 56 feet long, with a diameter of about 4 feet — and is intended to lift small satellites or other payloads weighing up to 330 pounds to a low orbit.

— samantha masunaga, latimes.com, "Rocket Lab's Electron rocket 'made it to space' in the company's first test flight", 24 May 2017
One payload could have injected other code, which would have opened system backdoors under the context of administrator root privileges.

— douglas mcgray, WIRED, "The Minister of Net Defense", 1 May 2003

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'payload'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

1914

First Known Use of payload

1914

PAYLOAD Defined for English Language Learners

payload

play

noun

Definition of payload for English Language Learners

: the amount of goods or material that is carried by a vehicle (such as a truck)
: the things (such as passengers or bombs) that are carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
: the weight of a payload