plural payloads
1
: the load carried by a vehicle exclusive of what is necessary for its operation
especially
: the load carried by an aircraft or spacecraft consisting of people or things (such as passengers or instruments) necessary to the purpose of the flight
… rockets carrying … a payload of Starlink satellites. —
Rick Neale
Rick Neale Their objective was to size the airplane according to its intended payload. —Clive Irving
Clive Irving 2
: the weight of a payload
… the Bronco had a payload of 2000 pounds.—Darryl Young
Darryl YoungMaximum fuel load is 3,550 pounds, leaving a payload of just 360 pounds with full tanks.—J. Mac McClellan
J. Mac McClellan3
: the destructive component carried by a missile or bomb
… they did not fail to realize that a missile powerful enough to put a satellite into orbit could also deliver a nuclear payload to Washington, D.C., or New York, or Chicago, or any major American city.—Alex Wellerstein
Alex Wellerstein
also
: something likened to such a payload
This vulnerability could be exploited to deploy a ransomware payload … —Carly Page
Carly Page Thus, a potential pitfall for using adenoviruses as a vaccine delivery system is that a person's immune system may end up responding more to the adenovirus itself than the vaccine's genetic payload … —Beth Mole
Beth Mole Examples of payload in a Sentence
The truck is carrying a payload of 2,580 pounds.
the space shuttle can carry a maximum payload of approximately 50,000 pounds
Recent Examples on the Web
Potential payloads include lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes, electronic warfare equipment, acoustic decoys designed to mimic other vessels, and deployable sensor packages for intelligence collection.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
However, Musk is counting on using his massive Starship rocket, which is under development and can lift more than five times the payload.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Once on station, what the Lamprey does depends on its payload.
—David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for payload
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Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
However, Musk is counting on using his massive Starship rocket, which is under development and can lift more than five times the payload.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Once on station, what the Lamprey does depends on its payload.
—David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for payload
Cite this Entry
“Payload.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payload. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
payload
noun
pay·load
ˈpā-ˌlōd 
: something (as cargo, passengers, instruments, or explosives) carried by a vehicle in addition to what is necessary for its operation
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