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

Fire officials said they believe the fire started in the engine area and crews found cargo and propane tanks inside and underneath the tour bus, according to KTLA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The wreck was discovered in 2016, and both the vessel and its cargo have been investigated several times since then.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

One workaround for logistics operators is to move as much cargo off rivers as they can to trains or trucks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

One option is Hawaii’s small but promising ocean-tech industry, which includes firms that repair cargo ships, make sensors to detect floods, breed commercial shellfish or make livestock supplements from seaweed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

“She carries cargo, but she can fight if she has to.”

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

There are no bans on shipping, however, she added, and it was up to the individual captains to decide how to adjust their cargoes to adapt to the lower waters.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Reuters - citing an Iranian official - previously reported that Tehran was seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the price of cargoes from vessels who travel through it.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

“If there’s a cold winter, there’ll be significant competition for LNG cargoes for sure.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

She says that Europe is now reliant on US LNG supplies, and competing with Asia for the same cargoes, which pushes up prices.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

The spies sent the Nazis many shipping details from South American ports, too—long lists of vessel names, cargoes, and departure dates.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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

Shipping companies are carving out other ways to get their cargos through the region.

From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026

"I believe that what I bought was multiple cargos of virgin palm oil that has been wrongly classified as palm oil sludge," they said.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 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