# freight

/ˈfɹeɪt/ (US) · /fɹˈeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/freight
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. goods or cargo

noun · CEFR B2

goods that are moved from one place to another by ship, train, truck, or plane.

For teachers: goods or cargo transported by commercial means. Uncountable in this sense.

- The ship was carrying a heavy load of freight across the ocean.
- The port handles millions of tons of freight annually, ranging from raw industrial materials to finished consumer electronics.

### 2. transport system

noun · CEFR B2

the system or business of moving goods.

For teachers: the commercial transportation of goods, often used to distinguish from passenger services.

- It is often cheaper to send large items by freight than by mail.
- The government is investing in the rail network to encourage more companies to move their goods by freight rather than by road.

### 3. emotional weight

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary

the extra meaning or feelings that a word or situation carries.

For teachers: the figurative burden or weight of emotional or cultural associations attached to something.

- The word 'home' carries a lot of emotional freight for people who live abroad.
- The historical novel is heavy with the freight of past grievances, making it a challenging but rewarding read.

### 4. to load or fill

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to fill something with goods or with a particular feeling.

For teachers: to load a vessel or vehicle with cargo; figuratively, to charge or imbue something with a specific quality or emotion.

- His voice was freighted with sadness as he told the story.
- The air was freighted with the scent of pine and damp earth after the heavy summer rain.

## Examples

- The ship carries heavy freight across the ocean.
- Most of the company's freight is moved by rail because it is cheaper than using trucks for long distances.
- The logistics manager spent the morning coordinating the incoming freight to ensure that the warehouse had enough floor space for the seasonal inventory arriving by sea.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.