FREIGHT definition: 1. goods, but not passengers, that are carried from one place to another, by ship, aircraft, train…. Learn more. Like many nouns that can mean an action as well as an actual thing, freight refers to either the sending of goods or the goods themselves . It can also mean the charge for sending goods. You pay freight for the freight of your freight. The meaning of FREIGHT is the compensation paid for the transportation of goods. How to use freight in a sentence. goods that are transported by ships, planes, trains or lorries; the system of transporting goods in this way. All vehicles carrying freight need a special permit. The freight was transferred to a train at Rotterdam. The train's freight wagons can carry a fully-laden lorry.