payload
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the total weight of passengers and goods that a plane or ship carries to make money.
the portion of a vehicle's load, such as passengers or cargo, that generates revenue.
Simple“The airline had to reduce the payload to save fuel on the long flight.”
In context“The new transport aircraft was designed to maximise its payload while maintaining the ability to land on relatively short, unpaved runways.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
the satellite or explosive part that a rocket or missile carries into space or to a target.
the functional part of a rocket, missile, or spacecraft that is not involved in propulsion or guidance, such as a satellite or warhead.
Simple“The rocket successfully carried its satellite payload into orbit.”
In context“Engineers spent months calculating the precise weight of the scientific payload to ensure the rocket could reach the required altitude.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
the actual message or information in a packet of data, not including the technical routing info.
the essential data within a transmission unit, excluding overhead information such as headers or metadata.
Simple“The system checks the payload of each packet for errors.”
In context“By stripping away unnecessary headers, the developers were able to increase the percentage of the payload within each network packet.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
the part of a computer virus that actually does the damage, like deleting files.
the component of a malware program that executes the malicious activity, distinct from the code used for spreading or concealment.
Simple“The virus stayed hidden for weeks before releasing its destructive payload.”
In context“Security researchers identified that the malware's payload was designed to encrypt user files and demand a ransom payment.”
Synonymsmalicious code
Usage payload capacity
“Some might see that as a good thing due to Starship’s enormous payload capacity.”
“With a payload capacity of more than 100 metric tons (220,000 pounds) to low-Earth orbit, SpaceX’s new rocket is changing the thinking of just about everyone in the space industry.”
From pay + load. From the early 20th century.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.