Meaning & use
soiled bill of lading
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebusinessspecialist
A shipping document that has been marked or damaged, usually because the goods it describes were found to be faulty when loaded.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a soiled bill of lading' or 'two soiled bills of lading'.
Patterns
- issue a soiled bill of lading
- receive a soiled bill of lading
- a soiled bill of lading for something
The buyer refused the shipment because the carrier had issued a soiled bill of lading.
A soiled bill of lading often means the goods were already damaged before they were loaded.
The bank would not accept a soiled bill of lading as security for the loan.
Word forms
| plural | soiled bills of lading |
|---|
Common combinations
- issue a soiled bill of lading
- The shipping line issued a soiled bill of lading after noting the torn packaging.
- accept a soiled bill of lading
- Most banks will not accept a soiled bill of lading without extra guarantees.
- clean bill of lading
- In contrast to a soiled one, a clean bill of lading states that the goods were received in good condition.
Synonyms and how they differ
- claused bill of lading
- A more general term for any bill with added remarks about the goods, not only damage.
- dirty bill of lading
- An informal alternative used in some ports; 'soiled' is the more standard business term.
Opposites
Word family
- bill of lading noun
- The basic shipping document that lists goods being transported.
Commonly confused: soiled bill of lading or bill of lading?
soiled bill of lading vs bill of lading
A bill of lading is the general document; a soiled bill of lading is one that has been marked as damaged or imperfect.
Practice
The bank rejected the document because it was a ______ bill of lading.
Choose one answer.
A soiled bill of lading indicates damage or remarks, which banks often reject. 'Clean' is the opposite and would be accepted; 'straight' and 'through' describe other types of bills of lading but do not imply damage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soiled bill of lading”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.