1. The revenue-producing part of a cargo.
2. 1. The total weight of passengers and cargo that an aircraft carries or can carry.
   2. The total weight of the instruments, crew, and life-support systems that a spacecraft carries or can carry.
   3. The passengers, crew, instruments, or equipment carried by an aircraft, spacecraft, or rocket.
3. The explosive charge carried in the warhead of a missile.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.