Definition

1. Noun:

   • The charge or cost for transporting goods by a common carrier: "Freight" refers to the money paid for the commercial transportation of goods.
   • Goods transported in bulk by a vehicle: "Freight" also means the cargo or merchandise itself that is being transported.

2. Verb:

   • To load a vehicle with goods for transportation: To "freight" means to put cargo onto a ship, train, truck, or aircraft.
   • To transport goods commercially as cargo: To "freight" also means to send or carry goods by a commercial transport service.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Charge/Cost):

  • The freight for shipping the machinery was surprisingly high.
  • Who is responsible for paying the freight on this order?

• Noun (Goods/Cargo):

  • The train was carrying heavy freight across the country.
  • The port handles millions of tons of freight every year.

• Verb (To load with goods):

  • Workers freighted the ship with containers before its departure.
  • It took all day to freight the trucks for the long journey.

• Verb (To transport commercially):

  • The company freights fresh produce from farms to major cities.
  • These items are too bulky to mail; we need to freight them.

Advanced Usage

• "Freight charges": The specific costs associated with shipping goods.

  • Always check the freight charges before finalizing a purchase from overseas.

• "Freight train": A train that consists primarily of freight cars for transporting goods, not passengers.

  • We had to wait at the crossing for a long freight train to pass.

• "Freight forwarder": A person or company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer to a market or final point of distribution.

  • We hired a freight forwarder to manage the complex international shipment.

Variants and Related Words

• Freighter (n): A ship or aircraft designed for carrying freight.

  • The cargo was transported on a large ocean freighter.

• Freightage (n): A less common synonym for freight charges or the transportation of goods.

  • The contract included all freightage to the destination port.

Synonyms

• Noun (Charge): Shipping charge, carriage, transport cost.
• Noun (Goods): Cargo, shipment, load, merchandise.
• Verb: Ship, transport, carry, convey.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Collocations

• Freight in: To bring goods in by freight transport.

  • The raw materials are freighted in from neighboring countries.

• Freight out: To send goods out by freight transport.

  • The finished products are freighted out to distributors every Friday.

Related Idioms

• "Pay the freight": To bear the cost or responsibility for something (often used figuratively).

  • If this project fails, the taxpayers will have to pay the freight.

• "Dead freight": A charge paid for space booked on a ship but not used.

  • The shipper had to pay dead freight for the unused cargo space.

Noun

1. the charge for transporting something by common carrier
   • we pay the freight
   • the freight rate is usually cheaper
2. transporting goods commercially at rates cheaper than express rates
3. goods carried by a large vehicle

Verb

1. load with goods for transportation
2. transport commercially as cargo