freight

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
a
: the compensation paid for the transportation of goods
b
: cost
help pay the freight
2
a
: goods to be shipped : cargo
The freight arrived by steamboat.
b
: load, burden
The man staggered under a freight of small logs in a basket.
c
: meaning sense 3, significance
words that carry psychological freight, such as "family," "work," and "sex"
3
a
: the ordinary transportation of goods by a common carrier and distinguished from express
b
: a train designed or used for such transportation
an eastbound freight

freight

2 of 2

verb

freighted; freighting; freights

transitive verb

1
a
: to load with goods for transportation
b
: burden, charge
freighted with memories
2
: to transport or ship by freight

Examples of freight in a Sentence

Noun trains that carry both passengers and freight The freight arrived by steamboat. The order was shipped by freight. Verb it took six hours to freight the cargo airplane
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.
Noun
In addition to passengers, the Pacific carried 600 tons of freight. Joel Sams, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025 The company provides airline and ocean cargo/freight handling and warehousing services. Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
In my mind, modern-day Malibu was freighted with so much baggage. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025 The moment is at once rich with relief and freighted with ominousness: Lady Liberty is filmed upside down. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for freight 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English freghte, freight, freyte, freythe "transport of goods, charge for transportation, cargo of a ship," borrowed from Middle Dutch vrecht "cargo, charge for transport," going back to West Germanic *fraihti-, probably "what is given over or consigned to someone" (whence also Old Frisian fracht, frecht "charge for freight," Middle Low German vracht [vrecht- in vrechtman "consigner of a cargo"], Old High German frêht "reward, recompense") from *fra- "away, off" (going back to Indo-European *pro-) + Germanic *aihti- "property, possession" (whence Old English ǣht "possession, [in plural] property, goods," Old Saxon ēht "property," Old Icelandic ætt, átt "kindred, pedigree," Gothic aihtins [accusative plural] "property"), derivative, with the abstract noun suffix *-ti-, from the base of *aigan "to possess" — more at for entry 1, owe

Note: Compare fraught entry 2 and see note there.

Verb

Middle English freighten, derivative of freghte, freight freight entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of freight was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near freight

Cite this Entry

“Freight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freight. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

freight

1 of 2 noun
1
: the amount paid (as to a shipping company) for carrying goods
2
a
: goods or cargo carried by ship, train, truck, or airplane
b
: the carrying of goods from one place to another by vehicle
ship the order by freight
3
: a train that carries freight

freight

2 of 2 verb
1
: to load for transportation
2
: to ship by freight

More from Merriam-Webster on freight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!