Shiploads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The full cargo a vessel can hold or carry at one time ; a very large amount or number of something, often used informally
2. The total load a ship transports in one voyage ; an informal way of describing a huge quantity of people or things
3. The quantity of goods a vessel takes on board ; a great deal of something, as in large amounts of money or stock

Etymology: "Shiploads" is simply the plural of "shipload," which is a compound of "ship" and "load." The two parts are old, plain English words: "ship" comes from Old English "scip," and "load" from Old English "lād," a word for a carrying or a journey. Put together, a shipload is what a ship can carry, and the plural adds a count of such cargoes. The plural is the more useful form here, since it is nearly always used loosely, as in "shiploads of grain" or "shiploads of complaints," where the literal cargo has been stretched into a measure of sheer quantity.

Synonyms: boatload, cargo, heap, mass