cargo

[kahr-goh]

noun

plural

cargoes, cargos 

1. the lading or freight of a ship, airplane, etc.

2. load.

   Synonyms: burden

3. cargos, pants or shorts having several cargo pockets to hold bulky gear and small items.

adjective

1. of or denoting a style of pants or shorts with cargo pockets.

cargo

/ ˈkɑːɡəʊ /

noun

1. 1. goods carried by a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle; freight

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cargo vessel

2. any load

   the train pulled in with its cargo of new arrivals

Word History and Origins

Origin of cargo¹

1640–50; from Spanish: “a load,” noun derivative of cargar “to load,” from Late Latin carricāre; charge

Word History and Origins

Origin of cargo¹

C17: from Spanish: from cargar to load, from Late Latin carricāre to load a vehicle, from carrus _car

Synonym Study

See freight.

Example Sentences

She sports a tiki bar and theater in a converted cargo hold at one end and an exhibit about Rosie the Riveter at the other.

From Los Angeles Times

"On top of that, captains will be having to deal with customs and excise and paperwork around the cargo and immigration."

From BBC

Shipments under the exemption made up more than 90% of all the cargo entering the country, according to US customs.

From BBC

Ciau had a good job at Los Angeles International Airport, selling cargo space for an international airline.

From Los Angeles Times

The shooter was reported to be a male in his early 20’s, wearing “some black clothing, with cargo type pants,” according to O’Hara.

From Salon

Related Words

• consignment 
• freight 
• goods 
• load 
• merchandise 
• payload 
• shipment 

When To Use

What does cargo mean?

Cargo is the load of materials being transported by a vehicle like a ship, airplane, train, or truck, especially for commercial or professional purposes.The word cargo is used collectively—it’s a singular noun that refers to a group of items. For example, all of the shipping containers being transported by a ship are its cargo.Such a ship can be called a cargo ship or a cargo liner. A plane primarily carrying cargo can be called a cargo plane. Such a train is typically called a freight train (freight is a close synonym of cargo). Cargo is often distinguished from other things that the vehicle might be carrying, such as passengers—the distinction is often made between a cargo ship or a cargo plane and a passenger ship or passenger plane.Cargo is also used as a modifier (adjective) in a lot of terms related to cargo and its transport and storage. The place in a ship or plane where cargo is stored is called the cargo hold. On the space shuttle, the place where equipment is stored is called the cargo bay.Cargo is sometimes used more casually in nonprofessional contexts. When packing up your car to move or go on vacation, you might say that it’s fully loaded with your cargo, but this is usually intended as a kind of joke. The word can even be used in this way to refer to people, as in A lot of parents like to alert other drivers to their precious cargo with those “baby on board” signs. The word cargo is also used in the terms cargo pants and cargo shorts, which have large side pockets (called cargo pockets) designed to be able to carry a lot of stuff. Such pants or shorts are sometimes called cargoes (or cargos), as in I think it’s time for a new pair or cargoes—these have holes in both of the pockets.  Example: We’re set to pull out of port as soon as the cargo is secured.