freight train

American  

noun

1. a train of freight cars.

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Etymology

Origin of freight train

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

A line outside a Riverside gas station crossed a railroad track, and a man stopped on the tracks refused to yield his place even when a freight train engine bore down on him.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

The February 2023 rail disaster in Tempi, central Greece killed 57 people, most of them young students on a passenger train that collided with a freight train in the middle of the night.

From Barron's • Jan. 10, 2026

But when a freight train stalled at a key intersection in the middle of the city, they found themselves stuck on the wrong side of the street for nearly 30 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

When that freight train leaves the station, you want to jump onboard, especially when it’s starting to pick up speed.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 17, 2025

And there he was like a freight train on the loose, out of control, rampaging wildly, trying to careen toward Guilmet but too late, too late.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier