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.
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
freighted; freighting; freights
2
: to transport or ship by freight
Synonyms
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
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
While a fuel cell is comparable in size to a diesel engine, a battery big enough for long-haul trucks adds weight and size and cuts down on the total freight load the truck can deliver.
—Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The model relies on using fewer, longer trains with a mix of freight on them, so railroads can operate with fewer locomotives and employees.
—Josh Funk, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
In 1876, freight agent Fred Harvey of Leavenworth noticed a major problem with railroads.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
The federal government awarded Fort Worth $2 million to test weather sensors on autonomous freight truck routes.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Once the vendors are picked, the parts manufactured, and the boxes compiled, the shipping of the games globally can take anywhere from six to eight months, depending on where the vendors are and the freight company that is chosen.
—Saira Mueller, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
And after significant pressure on industry from President Biden, labor unions, and our department, approximately 89% of Class I freight railroad workers now have paid sick days, up from less than 5% around a little more than a year ago.
—Pete Buttigieg, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The Biden administration on Tuesday required the largest freight railroads to operate their trains with at least two people on board, seeking to improve rail safety with a new mandate that immediately drew stiff industry opposition.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Already struggling to contain intractable crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, the United States is also grappling with an impasse in the Balkans over a gas pipeline into Bosnia, an issue that is freighted with big geopolitical stakes.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
The movie came freighted with exposition, along with lengthy monologues and much stirring oration.
—Glenn Whipp, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024
At the same time, the infinity of available emoji has freighted other pictures with occult significance.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2024
Adam’s silence can seem sweetly companionable one moment and freighted with trauma the next.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
But right off the bat, the fragmented approach is freighted with a cumbersome framing device.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The actual kidnapping doesn’t occur until two-thirds through the film, a narrative decision that both gives us time to understand the rhythms of Umut’s daily life and also freights even the most cheerful early scenes with a sense of gathering dread.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023
That approach means the movie is freighted with exposition, along with lengthy monologues and much stirring oration.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
Noun
There’s a sequence mid-game that’s ripped straight from Uncharted 2 where Eve must escape a dangling train car as plummeting debris and freight rain around her.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
While a fuel cell is comparable in size to a diesel engine, a battery big enough for long-haul trucks adds weight and size and cuts down on the total freight load the truck can deliver.
—Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The model relies on using fewer, longer trains with a mix of freight on them, so railroads can operate with fewer locomotives and employees.
—Josh Funk, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
In 1876, freight agent Fred Harvey of Leavenworth noticed a major problem with railroads.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
The federal government awarded Fort Worth $2 million to test weather sensors on autonomous freight truck routes.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Once the vendors are picked, the parts manufactured, and the boxes compiled, the shipping of the games globally can take anywhere from six to eight months, depending on where the vendors are and the freight company that is chosen.
—Saira Mueller, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
And after significant pressure on industry from President Biden, labor unions, and our department, approximately 89% of Class I freight railroad workers now have paid sick days, up from less than 5% around a little more than a year ago.
—Pete Buttigieg, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The Biden administration on Tuesday required the largest freight railroads to operate their trains with at least two people on board, seeking to improve rail safety with a new mandate that immediately drew stiff industry opposition.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
This is still life, but freighted with both ideas about the idealized origins of African American art and simultaneous presence and absence of the painter’s body and mind.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Already struggling to contain intractable crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, the United States is also grappling with an impasse in the Balkans over a gas pipeline into Bosnia, an issue that is freighted with big geopolitical stakes.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
The movie came freighted with exposition, along with lengthy monologues and much stirring oration.
—Glenn Whipp, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024
At the same time, the infinity of available emoji has freighted other pictures with occult significance.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2024
Adam’s silence can seem sweetly companionable one moment and freighted with trauma the next.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
But right off the bat, the fragmented approach is freighted with a cumbersome framing device.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The actual kidnapping doesn’t occur until two-thirds through the film, a narrative decision that both gives us time to understand the rhythms of Umut’s daily life and also freights even the most cheerful early scenes with a sense of gathering dread.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Oct. 2023
That approach means the movie is freighted with exposition, along with lengthy monologues and much stirring oration.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'freight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near freight
Cite this Entry
“Freight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freight. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
freight
1 of 2 noun1
: 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 verb1
: to load for transportation
2
: to ship by freight
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