WordGarden.iounload
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ʌnlˈəʊd/
US
- /ənˈloʊd/
Meanings
Verb
to remove cargo, goods, passengers, or other contents from a vehicle or container
to tell someone all your worries, complaints, or feelings in order to feel relief
to sell or otherwise get rid of goods, stock, or an unwanted asset
More meaningsFewer meanings
to remove the ammunition from a gun
to remove a program, module, or data from active memory or use
Beyond the definition
Imagine a ship returning from a long voyage: it needs to unload its cargo. That is the most common picture of the word, meaning to take things out of a vehicle, container, or other place that is carrying them. But "unload" is not just about physical objects. You can also unload your worries onto a friend or unload a program from a computer's memory. Whether you are moving boxes, sharing feelings, or clearing data, the core idea is to take something off a load or out of a holding space.
To unload means to remove the contents from something, typically a vehicle, container, or even a firearm. In its most literal sense, we often see it used in logistics: "The workers began to unload the truck," or "The crew unloaded the ship after its month-long journey." It also refers to the act of removing ammunition from a gun to make it safe.
However, "unload" has expanded far beyond physical labor. You can unload emotional baggage by talking about your feelings—essentially releasing pent-up stress and anxieties to a sympathetic listener. For example: "She needed to unload her frustrations after a difficult day at work." This figurative use suggests a sense of relief and the lifting of a mental burden.
The word also appears in business and technology. In finance, to unload can mean to sell off goods, stocks, or other assets, often quickly or in large amounts. In computing, unloading a program or data means removing it from the computer's active memory to free up space or resources. Across all these uses, the same basic idea stays in place: something is being taken out, put down, or passed on so the load becomes lighter.
Examples
- 1
Delivery work
The crew started unloading the truck as soon as it pulled into the yard.
- 2
Travel bags
We stopped outside the hotel to unload our bags.
- 3
Household chore
Can you unload the dishwasher before dinner?
- 4
Warehouse work
The workers unloaded the boxes onto a conveyor belt.
- Patternunload X onto Y
move X off a vehicle or container and put it there
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Emotional complaints
After the meeting, he unloaded all his frustration on me.
- Patternunload on + person
suddenly tell them a lot of your feelings or complaints
- 6
Selling unwanted items
The company is trying to unload some of its old office equipment before it moves.
- Patternunload + unwanted item
get rid of it, often by selling it
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- unloadverb
Forms
- unloading-ing formverb
- unloadedpast tenseverb
- unloadsverb