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freight Definition

freight (frāt)

noun

  1. a method or service for transporting goods, esp. bulky goods, by water, land, or air: freight is usually cheaper but slower than express
  2. the cost for such transportation
  3. the goods transported; lading; cargo
  4. ☆ freight train
  5. any load or burden

Etymology: ME freit, fraught < MDu vracht: see fraught

transitive verb

  1. to load with freight
  2. to load; burden
  3. to transport as or send by freight

freight Synonyms

freight

modif.

rail, railway, railroad, shipping, delivery, transportation, carrying, handling, moving, storage, express, baggage.

freight Synonyms

freight

n.

  1. That which is carried

    cargo, shipment, goods, lading, burden, load, contents, weight, bulk, encumbrance, ballast, consignment, freightage, tonnage, bales, packages, baggage, wares.

  2. Charges for transportation

    freightage, shipping costs, transportation costs, carrying charges, handling charges, transfer charges, storage charges, rates, bill, rail charges.

  3. The transportation of goods

    shipping, conveyance, delivery, freightage; see transportation.

freight Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • haul: Cardiff and Newport scenes in 1965 when there was still steam hauled freight by both large and small tank engines.
  • carry: Every ton of freight carried by rail, rather than road, produces at least 80 % less carbon dioxide.
  • strengthen: Permitting 44 ton lorries for general use in the UK: Final report 6. Measures to strengthen rail freight 6.1.
  • move: In 1993, 63 per cent of freight moved by road.

Adjective modifier

  • waterborne: How do we promote additional modal shift from road freight to rail and waterborne freight?
  • bulk: Not least it could be used, as could the London canal system, to shift bulk freight, and to transport waste.
  • heavy: Friend knows, the east coast main line carries Britain's fastest passenger train service and also handles heavy bulk freight and mail trains.

Modifies a noun

  • forwarder: Trainee freight forwarders earn around £ 8,000 a year.
  • forwarding: Condor Logistics is a freight forwarding company which operates from mainland UK to the Channel Islands.
  • train: Put simply, the Melksham line is more suitable for freight trains than the Bradford On Avon line is.
  • traffic: It will be the first major freight traffic to flow on the River Severn in over ten years.
  • terminal: The buildings on the right are part of the freight terminal.
  • operator: Costs for rail freight operators - Track Access Charges 6.4.

Preposition: by

  • rail: EWS is Britain's largest rail operator and the primary activity of the company is the movement of freight by rail.

Noun used with modifier

  • rail: Rail freight has grown by more than 50 % .
  • intermodal: Growth on intermodal rail freight services is expected to be the most widespread in over a year.
  • air: Edinburgh Airport is also expected to benefit from growth in air freight.
  • road: There has also been a 6 % shift to rail from road freight transport.
  • ocean: The MCC also examines developments in ocean freight rates on the basis of a report by a sub-committee of freight experts.
  • demonstration: See one of their classic demonstration freight or parcel trains.
freight Quotes

Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders.

—Sandburg, Carl

Hobo-trekkers that forever search An empire wilderness of freight and rails.

—Crane, (Harold) Hart