overload
Americanverb (used with object)
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overloads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overloaded,
past participle, past
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overloading
present participle
noun
-
overloads
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overloadsimple
-
overloadssimple
-
have overloadedperfect
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has overloadedperfect
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am overloadingprogressive
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are overloadingprogressive
-
is overloadingprogressive
-
have been overloadingperfect progressive
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has been overloadingperfect progressive
Past
-
overloadedsimple
-
had overloadedperfect
-
was overloadingprogressive
-
were overloadingprogressive
-
had been overloadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overload
Explanation
To overload is to load an excessive amount in or on something, such as an overload of electricity which shorts out the circuits. Overloading causes a "Too much!" situation. To overload is to push something or someone too far. A supervisor can overload an employee by assigning too much work. People can overload a bus if there are too many of them. A fuse will blow if too many appliances overload the circuits; this is called an overload (the noun form). When something gets overloaded, it usually stops working. Hair can overload or clog a sink, which will stop draining water. When something gets overloaded, there's more of something than it can handle.
Vocabulary lists containing overload
The House of Hades
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When I Was the Greatest
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: over-
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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.
See Examples For:
Smith, who now suffers from sensory overload and low energy, said he thinks of the incident every time he looks in the mirror.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Uber passengers complain about an overload of air fresheners during their rides, but drivers say it beats the smells coming from the back seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
In the age of information overload, nearly every elite athlete has to figure out when to throw the watch away.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Now may not be the time to whip up your favorite cold salads or overload on the “L” in your BLTs.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
The once overwhelming sensory overload of township life now seemed second nature to me.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
When she sets screens on the perimeter and rolls to the basket or passes from a variety of spots on the court, it overloads defenses and opens up potent offensive options for the Bruins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026
Patients also recovered more quickly from metabolic crises, i.e., overloads of the energy metabolism, which can suddenly worsen the course of this disorder.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026
Strong solar storms however bring more than just stunning light displays -- they can also disrupt communication systems and cause satellite malfunctions and power grid overloads.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
What we have established is Amorim plays a positional style of football that looks to better opponents through overloads rather than individuals beating their man.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025
Finally, he neither overloads us with facts and statistics nor seeks to amuse us with fancies or caricatures.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 17, No. 100, April, 1876 by Various
The Dollywood website became overloaded Tuesday and was inaccessible for several hours.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Yet Schoenbrun’s observations are presented in the film as though they’re opaque, overloaded with smug surrealism and jam-packed with visual stimuli designed to wink and nudge at the otherwise obvious.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
A Coast Guard investigation found the boat was overloaded and didn’t have any child or infant-sized life jackets when it capsized near the Statue of Liberty at around 10.20 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
One survivor in her 40s told the AFP news agency that the ferry had been particularly overloaded at the time with goods - and passengers had raised concerns about the rough conditions.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Jars clink and crash in the kitchen as they’re knocked from pantry shelves, or fall from overloaded arms.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
He also said that the maximum capacities of passenger boats should be clearly indicated to avoid overloading, which is often one of the causes when boats capsize.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
A lack of building maintenance, water leaks, structural overloading, corruption regarding issuing of permits, as well as the overall chaotic state of affairs in much of government may also play a role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
Davis said when he put the service charge policy in place several years ago, he carefully considered the language to nod to the history of tipping without overloading customers with information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
On a recent day, a group of emergency energy engineers gathered at a transformer substation to carry out repairs after residents turned on all their equipment at once when power was restored, overloading the system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
Meaning: They don’t need as much of their brains to process information and therefore might be able to add on more tasks without overloading the system.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
