cargo

noun

car·​go ˈkär-(ˌ)gō How to pronounce cargo (audio)
plural cargoes or cargos
Synonyms of cargo
: the goods or merchandise conveyed in a ship, airplane, or vehicle : freight
Dock workers were unloading the ship's cargo.

Synonyms of cargo

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Examples of cargo in a Sentence

The ship was carrying a cargo of crude oil. we put all of our cargo on the pack animals and began our journey through the canyon
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, carrying mission equipment presents different engineering challenges than transporting conventional cargo. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026 Seroka said raising the bridge would allow larger, more efficient cargo ships to access capacity at the port. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 The wreckage may have come from a schooner barge, a type of merchant vessel commonly used to transport cargo along the East Coast during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Robinson said. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 In the Strait of Hormuz, at least nine tankers and cargo ships have come under attack since Sunday as Iran tries to choke off oil exports through the waterway. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cargo

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, load, charge, from cargar to load, from Late Latin carricare — more at charge entry 1

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cargo was in 1657

Phrases Containing cargo

Rhymes for cargo

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Browse Nearby Words

cargason
cargo
cargo cult
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Cite this Entry

“Cargo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cargo. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

cargo

noun
car·​go ˈkär-ˌgō How to pronounce cargo (audio)
plural cargoes or cargos
: the goods transported in a ship, airplane, or vehicle : freight

More from Merriam-Webster on cargo

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cargo

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