loading

American  

[loh-ding] / ˈloʊ dɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that loads.

2. that with which something is loaded; loaded; load, burden, or charge.

3. Electricity. the process of adding reactance to a telephone circuit, radio antenna, etc.

4. Aeronautics. the ratio of the gross weight of an airplane to engine power power loading, wing span span loading, or wing area wing loading.

5. Insurance. an addition to the net premium, to cover expenses and allow a margin for contingencies and profit.

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loading British  

/ ˈləʊdɪŋ /

noun

1. a load or burden; weight

2. the addition of an inductance to electrical equipment, such as a transmission line or aerial, to improve its performance See loading coil

3. an addition to an insurance premium to cover expenses, provide a safer profit margin, etc

4. the ratio of the gross weight of an aircraft to its engine power ( power loading ), wing area ( wing loading ), or some other parameter, or of the gross weight of a helicopter to its rotor disc area ( disc loading )

5. psychol the correlation of a factor, such as a personality trait, with a performance score derived from a psychological test

6. material, such as china clay or size, added to paper, textiles, or similar materials to produce a smooth surface, increase weight, etc

7. a payment made in addition to a basic wage or salary to reward special skills, compensate for unfavourable conditions, etc

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Etymology

Origin of loading

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; load, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

"Enceladus itself is a key driver of this environment, releasing huge amounts of water vapor that gets ionized, loading the magnetosphere with heavy plasma that is then pulled around as the planet spins."

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

"Of course, in reality there is hardly any loading happening at the moment," he noted.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Video captured by OnScene showed a firefighter holding the toddler and crews extracting the two adults from the front of the car and loading them into an ambulance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

If the U.S. were to seize loading terminals, pipelines and storage tanks at Kharg, that would represent a significant escalation of the conflict — and send more jolts through the global energy markets.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Jackson could see the Chena floating with its right side up against the main loading dock.

From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis

Related Words

• packing
• storing