as in loads
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of payloads
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, 23 Jan. 2026
Back then, America feared an armada of Soviet bombers laden with A-bombs barreling over the horizon, dodging our few anti-aircraft batteries, and dropping their deadly payloads on undefended American cities.
—Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Space debris is becoming an overwhelming problem, as operators increasingly send satellites and other payloads to Earth’s orbit.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026
On board is a micro rover built by ispace called Tenacious as well as several commercial payloads.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2026
And among the myriad experiments packed into Artemis II’s science payloads will be AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response), a system designed to mimic individual astronaut organs.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2026
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
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
Vulcan may finally be on the cusp of delivering for the Space Force, but there are several military payloads in the queue to launch on Vulcan before GPS III SV-08, which was complete and in storage at its Lockheed Martin factory in Colorado.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Back then, America feared an armada of Soviet bombers laden with A-bombs barreling over the horizon, dodging our few anti-aircraft batteries, and dropping their deadly payloads on undefended American cities.
—Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Space debris is becoming an overwhelming problem, as operators increasingly send satellites and other payloads to Earth’s orbit.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026
On board is a micro rover built by ispace called Tenacious as well as several commercial payloads.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2026
And among the myriad experiments packed into Artemis II’s science payloads will be AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response), a system designed to mimic individual astronaut organs.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2026
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
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
Vulcan may finally be on the cusp of delivering for the Space Force, but there are several military payloads in the queue to launch on Vulcan before GPS III SV-08, which was complete and in storage at its Lockheed Martin factory in Colorado.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for payloads
Noun
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The company has been generating revenue since shortly after its founding in 2017, hauling loads for customers like Walmart in trucks with human safety drivers at the wheel.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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There are loads of cool details hidden throughout the set, too, with refuelling pipes and a moving bridge that connects the tower to the Orion module.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Beijing also held several soybean auctions in recent weeks, an indication that room is being cleared for more incoming cargoes.—
Hallie Gu,
Arkansas Online,
21 Jan. 2026
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The world’s top consumer had been hovering close to the target for days and has now booked enough cargoes to meet it, according to traders familiar with the shipments.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The threat environment alone is enough to deter loadings and prompt diversions at the margin.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
3 Jan. 2026
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However, arms control agreements limit current loadings to four or five.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Of course, physical production already allows storytellers to do this, but AI advocates point out that given the time and budget burdens so many of these period productions would never have gotten made in the first place.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
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According to the company, this reduces inventory burdens, streamlines logistics, and shortens installation timelines.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Walking Biking Dancing Lifting weights Swimming Ice skating and skiing are cold-weather activities that burn a lot of calories,12 and hot cocoa is often a way to relax after them.—
Heidi Moawad,
Verywell Health,
28 Jan. 2026
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In the overall scoring model, this dimension contributes 10% of the final score, based on the indicator weights set out in the KPI framework.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Payloads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/payloads. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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