cargo

cargo — noun

1. products, materials, or items that are being transported from one place to anoth

1.nounC2
Definition

products, materials, or items that are being transported from one place to another in a ship, plane, truck, or train

Example

The Watanabe family's shipping company lost an entire **cargo** of coffee beans at sea.

a cargo of [product] — pattern for referring to a specific load

Priya watched as workers loaded **cargo** onto the freighter bound for Malaysia.

Common collocations
  • cargo ship
  • cargo plane
  • cargo hold
  • cargo bay
  • cargo net
  • cargo manifest
  • cargo container
  • a cargo of
  • inspect cargo
  • unload cargo
  • secure cargo
  • load cargo
Synonyms
  • freight

    very similar meaning but freight can also function as a verb (to freight goods) and is more common for train and truck transport than for air or sea

  • shipment

    refers to a single consignment rather than goods in the mass; countable (a shipment of spare parts arrived yesterday)

  • load

    more general; can be any weight carried by any means, including animals or people (a load of firewood; a heavy load)

Grammar Patterns

cargo of + noun

the/this/that cargo

Usage Note

Cargo is typically uncountable in general reference (The cargo arrived safely). For a specific load, use a cargo of + noun (a cargo of wheat). Do not use cargo for personal bags or small items carried by hand — that meaning belongs to load or luggage.

Common Mistakes

He carried a small cargo in his backpack.
He carried a small load in his backpack.
cargo refers only to goods transported by large commercial vehicles such as ships, planes, and trucks, not to items carried by a person.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cargo, freight, shipment, and load all refer to goods being moved, but they differ in scope and context. Cargo is the most specific term, used exclusively for goods carried by large commercial vehicles — ships, planes, trucks, and trains. Freight overlaps heavily with cargo but can also function as a verb (to freight goods) and is more common for train and truck transport than for air or sea travel. Shipment denotes a single consignment sent at a specific time (a shipment of spare parts) and is countable, whereas cargo is usually uncountable. Load is the most general term, covering anything carried by any means, including animals or people (a load of firewood; a heavy load on his back). In formal logistics and customs documents, cargo and freight are the standard choices; for everyday situations, load feels more natural.

cargo ↗freight ↗shipment ↗load ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a cargo of
  • a shipment of cargo
  • the loading of cargo
  • the unloading of cargo
  • the inspection of cargo

Prepositions

Etymology

SpanishLatinEnglish

Cargo entered English in the 17th century from Spanish cargo, meaning 'load' or 'burden'. The Spanish word came from the Latin carricare ('to load a wagon'), which itself derived from carrus ('wagon'). The term was originally used in Spanish shipping, where cargo referred to the loading of a ship, and English adopted it for goods transported by sea, later extending to aircraft and other large vehicles.