payload

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

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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

Built by Maxar for the Canadian Space Agency, the Radarsat Constellation Mission comprises three remote-sensing spacecraft designed with large surface-scanning radars as their primary payload, Teslarati reports. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: A Yellow Sea launch, SpaceX’s upcoming high-value mission," 7 June 2019 Logging trucks drive through back roads that are unpatrolled by police and deliver their payloads to secret sawmills. — Fox News, "Inside the Amazon’s ‘world’s most endangered tribe’ who bathes with turtles and and eats armadillos," 1 Oct. 2018 The military is betting big on the Vulcan, Omega, and New Glenn rockets for its national security payloads. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Turbulent pricing era ahead, SLS concerns, SpaceX plays catch," 12 Oct. 2018 Its parade in February, while featuring its Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 ICBMs — the missiles that are believed capable of reaching the U.S. mainland with a nuclear payload — was deliberately kept low key. — Eric Talmadge, Fox News, "As talks with US stall, North Korea preps military parade," 6 Sep. 2018 Musk decided to make his own Tesla Roadster the Falcon Heavy’s test payload, complete with an astronaut mannequin riding in the driver’s seat. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: SpaceX," 29 Dec. 2018 The BepiColombo payload will be deployed about 26 minutes into flight and will signal mission control about 15 minutes after that. — Meghan Bartels, Space.com, "BepiColombo, the First Mercury Mission in 14 Years, Launches Tonight — Watch Live!," 19 Oct. 2018 SpaceX is launching its latest national security payload for the US Air Force — a satellite called GPS III SV01. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "How to watch four rocket launches on a banner day for the space industry," 18 Dec. 2018 Chang’e 4 will carry a cluster of international payloads from Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Sweden. — Leonard David, Scientific American, "Comsat Launch Bolsters China's Dreams for Landing on the Moon's Far Side," 22 May 2018

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.