freight

American  

[freyt] / freɪt /

noun

1. goods, cargo, or lading transported for pay, whether by water, land, or air.

2. the ordinary conveyance or means of transport of goods provided by common carriers (distinguished from express).

   Shipping by freight is less expensive.

3. the charges, fee, or compensation paid for such transportation.

   We pay the freight.

   Synonyms:

   haulage, freightage

4. (especially in Britain) the cargo, or any part of the cargo, of a vessel; merchandise transported by water.

5. Chiefly British. transportation of goods by water.

6. freight train.

7. Slang. cost or price, especially when high.

   I'd like a larger house, but can't afford the freight.

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verb (used with object)

1. to load; burden.

   a story heavily freighted with private meaning.

   Synonyms:

   charge

2. to load with goods or merchandise for transportation.

   It took all night to freight the ship.

3. to transport as freight; send by freight.

freight British  

/ freɪt /

noun

1. 1. commercial transport that is slower and cheaper than express

   2. the price charged for such transport

   3. goods transported by this means

   4. ( as modifier )

      freight transport

2. a ship's cargo or part of it

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verb

1. to load with goods for transport

2. to convey commercially as or by freight

3. to load or burden; charge

Related Words

Freight, cargo, shipment refer to goods being transported from place to place. Freight is the general term for goods transported from one place to another by any means: to send freight from New York to New Orleans. Cargo is the term generally used for goods carried by ship or plane: to send a cargo to Europe. Shipment is a quantity of goods destined for a particular place, no matter how sent: a shipment of potatoes.

Other Word Forms

• freightless adjective
• overfreight verb (used with object)
• unfreighted adjective

Etymology

Origin of freight

1350–1400; Middle English freyght (noun), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German vrecht, variant of vracht. See fraught

Explanation

Like many nouns that can mean an action as well as an actual thing, freight refers to either the sending of goods or the goods themselves. It can also mean the charge for sending goods. You pay freight for the freight of your freight. Freight can also be used as a verb. If you freight a train with goods, you load it up with items to be shipped, and if you freight your furniture to your new home in another state, you send it there. Use freight like this only if you are sending your things a long distance. If you your new apartment is only across town, you would say that you're moving your things to your new place.

Example Sentences

The freight company on Thursday posted a profit of $1.70 billion, or $2.87 a share, in the quarter ended March 31, compared with $1.63 billion, or $2.70 a share, a year earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The freight company on posted a profit in the first quarter of $1.70 billion, or $2.87 a share, on revenue of $6.22 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Fuel surcharges boosted freight revenue by 1 percentage point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Why were tankers commanding higher freight rates than usual even before the Strait of Hormuz closed?

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

We sleepin’ right th’ew them unfair freight rates, for instance, when we ought to be hollerin’ all the way to Washington.”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• carriage
• consignment
• merchandise
• payload
• shipment
• shipping
• transportation