freighter

/ˈfreɪtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfreɪtər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrā-tər/ (ame, mw)

freighter — noun

  • freightersingular
  • freightersplural

1. a vessel — usually a big ship, sometimes an aircraft — built mainly to move bulk

1.名詞B2
釋義

a vessel — usually a big ship, sometimes an aircraft — built mainly to move bulk goods between ports or airports, not to take paying passengers

例句

A Korean freighter loaded with cars docked in Long Beach early on Tuesday morning.

subject = vehicle; pattern: freighter loaded with [cargo]

The cargo freighter carried twenty thousand tonnes of grain from Argentina to West Africa.

collocation: cargo freighter; freighter + carry + [bulk goods]

同義詞
  • cargo ship

    common synonym for the sea-going variant; more transparent for learners

  • cargo plane

    specific to the aircraft variant of a freighter

  • carrier

    broader — can mean any vessel that transports goods or people

反義詞

文法句型

a/the + freighter

freighter + carrying/loaded with + cargo

用法筆記

Subject is almost always the vessel itself; common compound forms include 'cargo freighter', 'oil freighter', and 'air freighter'. Distinguish from sense 2, which refers to a person, not a vehicle.

常見錯誤

❌I booked a ticket on a freighter to Singapore.
✅I booked a ticket on a passenger ship to Singapore.
💡freighters carry goods, not paying passengers.

2. a person or company whose job is to arrange the loading, hiring, and transport o

2.名詞C1
釋義

a person or company whose job is to arrange the loading, hiring, and transport of goods on a ship or other vehicle

例句

The Lisbon freighter Mr. Costa arranged for our wine to be shipped to customers in Brazil.

pattern: a freighter arranges + [cargo] + to be shipped

Tariro hired a local freighter to handle the export paperwork for her coffee beans.

collocation: hire a freighter (person sense)

同義詞
  • shipper

    more common modern equivalent in everyday business English

  • freight forwarder

    current industry term for someone who arranges goods transport

  • shipping agent

    neutral, widely understood alternative

文法句型

the freighter + arranged/chartered + the cargo

用法筆記

Rare in modern English; today most speakers use 'shipper', 'freight forwarder', or 'shipping agent' for this role. Distinguish from sense 1 by context — sense 2 takes verbs like 'arrange', 'hire', or 'charter', not 'sail' or 'dock'.

常見錯誤

❌The freighter sailed at dawn.' (meaning the person)
✅The shipping agent saw the cargo off at dawn.
💡in modern English a 'freighter' that sails is the vessel; use 'shipping agent' or 'shipper' for the person.