loader

American

[loh-der] / ˈloʊ dər /

noun

a person or thing that loads.
a self-propelled machine with a shovel or bucket at the end of articulated arms, used to raise earth or other material and load it into a dump truck.

loader British

/ ˈləʊdə /

noun

a person who loads a gun or other firearm
(in combination) designating a firearm or machine loaded in a particular way

breech-loader
top-loader
computing a system program that takes a program in a form close to machine code and places it into a memory for execution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of loader

Middle English loder; load, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is believed that Khormuj has a mechanical loader for moving missiles into the silos on train tracks, instead of on mobile launchers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Festival-goers can compete for the title of best welder, crane operator or backhoe loader -- or be crowned the "Oildorado Queen."

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

Mr Bilton, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was about to carry out routine maintenance tasks when he was run over from behind by a Volvo shovel loader in September 2019.

From BBC • Feb. 29, 2024

We had to have a stunt double in to do some of the driving and then the rest of the time was on a low loader.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024

When I got home, Dad was driving the loader through the junkyard.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023