freight
Americannoun
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goods, cargo, or lading transported for pay, whether by water, land, or air.
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the ordinary conveyance or means of transport of goods provided by common carriers (distinguished from express).
Shipping by freight is less expensive.
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the charges, fee, or compensation paid for such transportation.
We pay the freight.
- Synonyms:
- haulage, freightage
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(especially in Britain) the cargo, or any part of the cargo, of a vessel; merchandise transported by water.
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Chiefly British. transportation of goods by water.
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Slang. cost or price, especially when high.
I'd like a larger house, but can't afford the freight.
verb (used with object)
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to load; burden.
a story heavily freighted with private meaning.
- Synonyms:
- charge
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to load with goods or merchandise for transportation.
It took all night to freight the ship.
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to transport as freight; send by freight.
noun
-
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commercial transport that is slower and cheaper than express
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the price charged for such transport
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goods transported by this means
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( as modifier )
freight transport
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a ship's cargo or part of it
verb
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to load with goods for transport
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to convey commercially as or by freight
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to load or burden; charge
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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freightsimple
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freightssimple
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have freightedperfect
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has freightedperfect
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are freightingprogressive
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am freightingprogressive
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is freightingprogressive
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have been freightingperfect progressive
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has been freightingperfect progressive
Past
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freightedsimple
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had freightedperfect
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was freightingprogressive
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were freightingprogressive
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had been freightingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing freight
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Chicago" by Carl Sandburg
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Crossing the Wire
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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.
Among stocks that have hit records in recent days are Old Dominion Freight Line, up 59% this year, Ryder System, up 45%, and logistics firm Matson, up 57%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Old Dominion Freight Line reported revenue per hundredweight excluding fuel surcharges rose 5.4% year-over-year for the second quarter through May.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
FedEx Freight is likely avoiding the drawdown because shares are very new.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
FedEx Freight stock is trading for about 31 times calendar year 2027 earnings.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
“One of my light crews worked on a Boston Freight ship, and it had the same word. I saw it on every single door in the whole damn wreck while we were taking it apart.”
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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.
