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
-
-
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
-
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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have freightedperfect
-
has freightedperfect 3rd person singular
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are freightingprogressive
-
am freightingprogressive 1st person singular
-
freightingparticiple
-
have been freightingperfect progressive
-
has been freightingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is freightingprogressive 3rd person singular
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freightssingular 3rd person
Past
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had freightedperfect
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were freightingprogressive plural
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was freightingprogressive singular
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had been freightingperfect progressive
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freightedparticiple
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freightedsimple
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.
If anyone still in public life knows how much freight that phrase carries, it would be him.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
FedEx is spinning off its freight business on June 1, aiming to unlock value; the unit expects $8.7 billion in 2026 sales.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
Concrete and drywall producer Eagle Materials said last week that higher fuel costs lifted its wallboard freight expense more than $2 per thousand square feet during its fiscal fourth quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Tracey Benn, who owns Café Louise in Gorey harbour, said the flat rate of freight which was brought in with the new ferry contract had increased her costs.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Olmsted in particular felt the pressure but also felt hobbled by the persistent delays in installation of exhibits and the damage done by the repeated comings and goings of drays and freight cars.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
