freighter
Americannoun
-
a vessel used mainly for carrying cargo.
-
a large aircraft or spacecraft used primarily for transporting cargo and equipment.
The space station of the future will be supplied by robot freighters.
-
a person whose occupation it is to receive and forward freight.
-
a person for whom freight is transported; shipper.
noun
-
a ship or aircraft designed for transporting cargo
-
a person concerned with the loading or chartering of a ship
Etymology
Origin of freighter
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.
Two earthy-hued early Oldenburgs are fantastic: a freighter and a sailboat that were included in one of his Happenings, performance works that were popular at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The MD-11F freighter operated by UPS, crashed after one of its engines separated from the wing as it was preparing to take off from Louisville.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
In one operation about 35 nautical miles from the small island of Gavdos, off Crete, a coastguard vessel, a Danish freighter and a helicopter took 365 people off a fishing boat, according to the agency.
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
The freighter was quickly unloaded and flew back to China carrying only empty pallets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Eratosthenes would no doubt have first made inquiries at Athens’ port of Piraeus for passage aboard a freighter.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
![]()
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.