carload

noun

car·​load ˈkär-ˈlōd 

-ˌlōd

1

: a load (as of occupants) that fills a car

a carload of tourists

2

: the minimum number of tons required for shipping at carload rates

3

: a large unspecified quantity

a carload of excuses

Synonyms

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• much
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• volume
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Examples of carload in a Sentence

She brought home a carload of books.

People were arriving by the carload.

Recent Examples on the Web

Norfolk Southern is one of the largest railroads in the U.S., delivering more than 7 million carloads annually. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

For perspective, Norfolk Southern’s total volume of carloads and intermodal units rose just 0.9% between 2020 and 2023, while its average revenue per carload or unit rose a solid 23%. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

The two railroads handle about 40,000 carloads of freight each day, worth about $1 billion, Windau said. —Greg McKenna, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2024

Gavin John/Bloomberg via Getty Images Gavin John/Bloomberg via Getty Images The two railroads handle about 40,000 carloads of freight each day, worth about $1 billion, Windau said. —CBS News, 17 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing carload

• carload rate

Kids Definition

carload

noun

car·​load ˈkär-ˈlōd 

: a load (as of passengers) that fills a car