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
NASA's first post-Challenger launching is tentatively set for May 1. Its payload, the NOAA-G weather satellite, will be lofted by an expendable Scout rocket. —
J. Eberhart
J. Eberhart 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
American computer security experts were first to spot another worm whose virus payload was contained within an e-mail that masqueraded as a virus alert from Symantec. —Pacific Business News
Pacific Business News 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
Mechanical design for modularity often borrows from practices in industries like aerospace, where modular payload bays have been used for decades.
—Jay Shah, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
The payload adapter was initially tested and is being stored at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 17 July 2025
The country’s counter-intelligence agency put forth the Sea Baby, designed to carry heavier payloads and strike such targets as bridges and ships in harbor.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
The idea was to build a seaplane using advanced composite materials that had enough range and payload capacity to carry out fast logistics missions as well as assisting in rescue and disaster relief efforts.
—New Atlas, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for payload
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jay Shah, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
The payload adapter was initially tested and is being stored at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 17 July 2025
The country’s counter-intelligence agency put forth the Sea Baby, designed to carry heavier payloads and strike such targets as bridges and ships in harbor.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
The idea was to build a seaplane using advanced composite materials that had enough range and payload capacity to carry out fast logistics missions as well as assisting in rescue and disaster relief efforts.
—New Atlas, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for payload
Cite this Entry
“Payload.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payload. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share