cargo

American  

[kahr-goh] / ˈkɑr goʊ /

noun

• cargoes,
  plural
• cargos
  plural

1. the lading or freight of a ship, airplane, etc.

2. load.

   Synonyms:

   burden

3. cargos, pants or shorts having several cargo pockets to hold bulky gear and small items.

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adjective

1. of or denoting a style of pants or shorts with cargo pockets.

cargo British  

/ ˈkɑːɡəʊ /

noun

1. 1. goods carried by a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle; freight

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cargo vessel

2. any load

   the train pulled in with its cargo of new arrivals

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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.

Synonym Usage

See freight.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cargoes
  plural
• cargos
  plural

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).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cargo cargoes cargos

New tariffs for FY27 suggest unit pricing gains of 9% for containers and 5% for bulk cargo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Palmer Luckey, 34-year-old co-founder of Anduril, is building the world’s next frontier of warfare for the Pentagon but wears a uniform of exclusively Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts.

From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026

But recently, stacks of Gulf-bound cargo have filled the previously empty container yard, diverted to Kenya by disruptions the Iran war has created in the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

But Puls said switching goods transport from shipping to trucks is difficult, as many trucks are typically required to carry the cargo of a single commercial vessel.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

He stopped and told them to put down the cargo and dig a hole.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Even though crude futures have retreated somewhat from recent highs, the cost of physical oil cargoes remains more elevated, signaling refiners are racing to lock in short-term supplies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Ships on the Rhine carry large cargoes of goods such as petroleum products.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

The transfers keep oil moving but occupy ships that would otherwise be available for other cargoes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Europe is now more exposed to international competition for LNG cargoes than to a direct supply cutoff.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Here the gigantic cattle trucks rested and scraped out the residue left by their recent cargoes.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Shell said Tuesday in its annual LNG report that global physical LNG cargos sold this year could be similar to the 422 million metric tons sold in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The company, which operates facilities that convert natural gas into liquid for shipping purposes, exported 128 cargos and sold 478.3 trillion British thermal units of LNG in the latest quarter.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

Yet even then, a “partial squeeze” spiked prices as ship owners refused cargos, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026

Smith: The inspiration for my outfit were the Compton Cowboys, so I wanted to do the flannel, I’ve got the cargos, the Margiela work boots and the cowboy hat.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025

He fished some cargos, a long-sleeved camouflage T-shirt, and a fleece sweatshirt from his suitcase, and then an extra set of underwear and socks.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

Related Words

• consignment
• freight
• goods
• load
• merchandise
• payload
• shipment