noun
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goods carried by a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle; freight
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( as modifier )
a cargo vessel
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any load
the train pulled in with its cargo of new arrivals
Usage
What does cargo mean? Cargo is the load of materials being transported by a vehicle like a ship, airplane, train, or truck, especially for commercial or professional purposes. The word cargo is used collectively—it’s a singular noun that refers to a group of items. For example, all of the shipping containers being transported by a ship are its cargo. Such a ship can be called a cargo ship or a cargo liner. A plane primarily carrying cargo can be called a cargo plane. Such a train is typically called a freight train (freight is a close synonym of cargo). Cargo is often distinguished from other things that the vehicle might be carrying, such as passengers—the distinction is often made between a cargo ship or a cargo plane and a passenger ship or passenger plane. Cargo is also used as a modifier (adjective) in a lot of terms related to cargo and its transport and storage. The place in a ship or plane where cargo is stored is called the cargo hold. On the space shuttle, the place where equipment is stored is called the cargo bay. Cargo is sometimes used more casually in nonprofessional contexts. When packing up your car to move or go on vacation, you might say that it’s fully loaded with your cargo, but this is usually intended as a kind of joke. The word can even be used in this way to refer to people, as in A lot of parents like to alert other drivers to their precious cargo with those “baby on board” signs. The word cargo is also used in the terms cargo pants and cargo shorts, which have large side pockets (called cargo pockets) designed to be able to carry a lot of stuff. Such pants or shorts are sometimes called cargoes (or cargos), as in I think it’s time for a new pair or cargoes—these have holes in both of the pockets. Example: We’re set to pull out of port as soon as the cargo is secured.
Related Words
See freight.
Etymology
Origin of cargo
1640–50; from Spanish: “a load,” noun derivative of cargar “to load,” from Late Latin carricāre; see charge
Explanation
Cargo refers to goods carried by a large vehicle, like a plane, ship, train, or truck. See a giant truck on the highway piled high with boxes, lumber, or new cars? It's carrying cargo. Cargo originates from the Latin word carricare which means "to load on a cart, or wagon." Cargo can be loaded on a cart, but it's usually loaded on something much bigger. On a ship, cargo is stacked up in huge, colorful metal containers. These containers can be full of all types of cargo, like food, furniture, or electronics. You'll rarely need the plural, but it's formed by adding an -s or more commonly, an -es (cargoes).
Vocabulary lists containing cargo
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 19–February 25, 2022
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 31–September 6, 2024
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rudolph was especially excited about acquiring a SpaceX Cargo Dragon, which will further the air and space center’s goal to “show people that this isn’t all history.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
DB Cargo, its loss-making freight arm, is facing an EU investigation under state aid rules and the firm said in February it would cut about 6,000 jobs in Germany, equivalent to half its domestic workforce.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Some 60% of the group’s planned long-haul flights will run during the period, while Lufthansa Cargo will fly more than 80% of its freight flights, Lufthansa said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
Cargo operations account for 20% of the group’s earnings before interest and tax, the largest weighting among its peers, the JPMorgan analysts added.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
When he finally got back we were all sitting on the couch watching the worst cartoon ever made, Clutch Cargo.
From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
