as in cargo
a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported
the space shuttle can carry a maximum payload of approximately 50,000 pounds
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Recent Examples of payload
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.
—
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The Pandora Mission satellite will be packed onto a SpaceX rocket in early January with a payload of 21 other satellites for a variety of commercial and scientific endeavor.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 26 Dec. 2025
Starship has taken and will continue to take billions to develop; the upside, though, is the rockets should be able to carry heavier payloads into space.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 22 Dec. 2025
In preparation for lunar landings later this decade, 2026 will see ongoing test flights of Space X’s Starship vehicle, not to mention Firefly Aerospace’s effort to deploy a lunar satellite for the European Space Agency and to deliver payloads to the far side of the moon.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payload
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025
The Pandora Mission satellite will be packed onto a SpaceX rocket in early January with a payload of 21 other satellites for a variety of commercial and scientific endeavor.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 26 Dec. 2025
Starship has taken and will continue to take billions to develop; the upside, though, is the rockets should be able to carry heavier payloads into space.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 22 Dec. 2025
In preparation for lunar landings later this decade, 2026 will see ongoing test flights of Space X’s Starship vehicle, not to mention Firefly Aerospace’s effort to deploy a lunar satellite for the European Space Agency and to deliver payloads to the far side of the moon.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for payload
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payload
Noun
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Three interior pockets keep everything organized, while the tote’s zip closure ensures your precious cargo stays secure.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
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Later that night, Pine visits the weapons site with his former hotel colleague and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who rig the cargo trucks with cell-phone detonating explosives.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Load the down coat into a front-load washer or a high-efficiency top-load washer without a center agitator for gentle agitation.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
14 Jan. 2026
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Over time, increase the repetitions using light weights, then gradually progress to heavier loads, Forsyth recommended.—
Allison Forsyth,
Health,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Excavators will support autonomous trenching, loading, grading, and related operations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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For top-loading machines, never fill laundry past the agitator.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That connection is visible in rising antisemitic incidents and the daily security burdens borne by Jewish schools and synagogues.—
David Moore,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Fraud and abuse are merely the cost of social progress, and empathy for the burden their agendas place on hard-working Marylanders is all but non-existent.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Payload.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payload. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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