freight

American  

[freyt] / freɪt /

noun

1. goods, cargo, or lading transported for pay, whether by water, land, or air.

2. the ordinary conveyance or means of transport of goods provided by common carriers (express ).

   Shipping by freight is less expensive.

3. the charges, fee, or compensation paid for such transportation.

   We pay the freight.

   Synonyms:

   haulage, freightage

4. (especially in Britain) the cargo, or any part of the cargo, of a vessel; merchandise transported by water.

5. Chiefly British. transportation of goods by water.

6. freight train.

7. Slang. cost or price, especially when high.

   I'd like a larger house, but can't afford the freight.

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verb (used with object)

1. to load; burden.

   a story heavily freighted with private meaning.

   Synonyms:

   charge

2. to load with goods or merchandise for transportation.

   It took all night to freight the ship.

3. to transport as freight; send by freight.

freight British  

/ freɪt /

noun

1. 1. commercial transport that is slower and cheaper than express

   2. the price charged for such transport

   3. goods transported by this means

   4. ( as modifier )

      freight transport

2. a ship's cargo or part of it

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verb

1. to load with goods for transport

2. to convey commercially as or by freight

3. to load or burden; charge

Related Words

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

• freightless adjective
• overfreight verb (used with object)
• unfreighted adjective

Etymology

Origin of freight

1350–1400; Middle English freyght (noun), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German vrecht, variant of vracht. See fraught

Example Sentences

The vehicles are delivering freight between Fort Worth and El Paso and Dallas and Houston, as well as hauling fracking sand on public roads and highways in the Permian Basin.

From The Wall Street Journal

Eurotunnel said it had a waiting time of 60 minutes for freight and 30 minutes for cars at its Folkestone terminal due to "high demand".

From BBC

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

The deal would also move freight more efficiently and preserve all union jobs that exist at the time of the merger, according to the application.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors will be looking for updates on cost reductions, the spinoff of its less-than-truckload freight business, the health of the U.S. consumer, and the impact of tariffs on the global economy.

From Barron's

Related Words

• carriage
• consignment
• merchandise
• payload
• shipment
• shipping
• transportation