payload

P3A1Y4L1O1A1D2
US/ˈpeɪloʊd/UK/ˈpeɪləʊd/

noun

That part of a cargo that produces revenue.

Meanings

nounpayload (plural payloads)

plural payloads

  1. That part of a cargo that produces revenue.
  2. The total weight of passengers, crew, equipment, and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft.
  3. That part of a rocket, missile, propelled stinger, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance, such as a warhead or satellite.

    1990, Dave Mustaine, "Rust in Peace... Polaris", Megadeth, Rust in Peace. I spread disease like a dog / Discharge my payload a mile high / Rotten egg air of death wrestles your nostrils

    1 more example

    Vendors must also describe to the Air Force whether they have experience integrating the device with payloads from other businesses, if they are capable of supporting flight test operations and working with ground support equipment and how soon the capability can be delivered. “Thrust Vector control must be included as a control methodology,” the service wrote in the request. “Other capability measurements of interest are, but not limited to, flight path angle, total impulse, speed, range, payload characteristics.

    2024 September 23, Vanessa Montalbano, “Air Force interested in advanced booster for hypersonic weapons”, in Inside Defense
  4. computingThe functional part of a computer virus or another type of malware program, rather than the part that spreads it.
  5. communicationThe actual data in a data stream.
  6. chiefly hero shootersvideo gamesA vehicle, usually a cart, that is escorted by an attacking team and contested by a defending team.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents

Broader

noungoods carried by a large vehicle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From pay + load. From the early 20th century.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian полезен товар
  • полезен товар (polezen tovar)that part of a cargo that produces revenue
Catalan càrrega útil
  • càrrega útilthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
Chinese Mandarin 裝載量 /装载量, 載荷 /载荷
  • 裝載量 /装载量 (zhuāngzàiliàng)the total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • 載荷 /载荷 (zàihè)the total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • 彈頭 /弹头 (dàntóu)that part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
Dutch lading
  • ladingthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
Finnish hyötykuorma, hyötykuorma
  • hyötykuormathat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • hyötykuormathe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • hyötykuormathat part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
  • tietosisältöthe actual data in a data stream
French fret, charge utile
  • fretthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • charge utilethat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • charge utilethe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • charge utilethat part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
  • charge utilethe functional part of a computer virus rather than the part that spreads it
  • charge utilethe actual data in a data stream
German Nutzlast, Nutzlast
  • Nutzlastthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • Nutzlastthe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • Nutzlastthat part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
Hungarian hasznos teher, hasznos adat
  • hasznos teherthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • hasznos adatthe actual data in a data stream
Italian carico, carico utile
  • caricothe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • carico utilethe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • carico utilethe actual data in a data stream
Norwegian nyttelast, nyttelast
  • nyttelastthe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • nyttelastthat part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
  • skadelastthe functional part of a computer virus rather than the part that spreads it
  • datalastthe actual data in a data stream
Norwegian Bokmål nyttelast
  • nyttelastthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
Russian полезная нагру́зка, полезная нагру́зка
  • полезная нагру́зка (poleznaja nagrúzka)that part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • полезная нагру́зка (poleznaja nagrúzka)the total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • боезаря́д (bojezarjád)that part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
  • боева́я ча́сть (bojevája částʹ)that part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
  • полезная нагру́зка (poleznaja nagrúzka)the actual data in a data stream
Spanish cargamento útil, cargamento cobrable
  • cargamento útilthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • cargamento cobrablethat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • cargamento cobraderothat part of a cargo that produces revenue
Swedish nyttolast, nyttolast
  • nyttolastthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • nyttolastthe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • nyttolastthat part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
Turkish uçuş yükü, uçuş yükü
  • uçuş yüküthat part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • uçuş yüküthe total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
  • uçuş yüküthat part of a rocket, missile, or torpedo that is not concerned with propulsion or guidance
Ukrainian ко́ри́сне наванта́ження, ко́ри́сне наванта́ження
  • ко́ри́сне наванта́ження (kórýsne navantážennja)that part of a cargo that produces revenue
  • ко́ри́сне наванта́ження (kórýsne navantážennja)the total weight of passengers, crew, equipment and cargo carried by an aircraft or spacecraft
Cite this entry
APA

payload. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/payload

MLA

“payload.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/payload. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “payload,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/payload.

Source: payload on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.