freight

Everyday

1. Freight is goods carried by trains, ships, trucks or planes. tree →
2. Freight is the system of carrying goods, or the money paid for it. tree →
3. (verb) To freight goods means to send them by transport. tree →
4. To freight a ship means to load it with goods to be carried. tree →

In the lessons

In geography lessons it comes with trade, ports, railways and container ships. In everyday life, freight trains and lorries carry food and parcels. In maths problems, freight is weighed in tonnes. Phrases: «freight train», «air freight», «by freight».

Examples

• A long freight train rattled past. tree →
• The ship carried freight from China to Australia. tree →
• Air freight is fast but expensive. tree →
• The freight was loaded into containers. tree →
• The company freighted the cars by sea. tree →
• The lorry carried 20 tonnes of freight. tree →
• The merchant got ready to go to sea, freighted a ship, and said to the orphan: tree →

Note

Uncountable: «a lot of freight», not «freights» (except as the verb). Pronounced «frate» — the «gh» is silent, like «eight» and «weight». Related: freighter (a cargo ship), cargo. In the USA, «freight» is common; in the UK people also say «goods» (a goods train).