overload
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overloads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overloaded,
past participle, past
-
overloading
present participle
noun
-
overloads
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overloadsimple
-
overloadssimple
-
have overloadedperfect
-
has overloadedperfect
-
am overloadingprogressive
-
are overloadingprogressive
-
is overloadingprogressive
-
have been overloadingperfect progressive
-
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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over (above, too much)
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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:
In Grace's case, loud noises can upset her heavily, effectively triggering what is often called a sensory overload - where a person becomes overwhelmed as a result.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
I didn’t know about some of the symptoms, like foot pain or sensory overload.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Kane has dropped into a left-back position as England overload the left side of the pitch.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
And there is always the risk of olfactory overload.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 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
Under Pochettino, the U.S. approach was defined by an aggressive pressing system and tactical fluidity, with the team building from a back-three structure that freed its wing backs to exploit overloads when pushing forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 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
Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a shift towards refinement after years of trend overloads.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025
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
In all of these the philosophy overloads the poetry, a state of matters all the less satisfactory because the philosophy itself is not so sound as that of the earlier periods.
From The Age of Tennyson by Hugh Walker
During heavy rainfall, they can discharge into watercourses to prevent overloaded sewers backing up into homes, businesses and streets.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15 to 17-year-olds since late September, complaining of missing teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
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
The lines stayed overloaded all morning, as far as I could tell.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
The introduction of water marshals to oversee terminals and prevent overloading has not yet made a difference.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
There’s a chunk of code for a memory system to keep the context of conversations going without overloading the AI with too much information—a problem known to amplify hallucinations and reduce the effectiveness of guardrails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 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
But the biggest mistake many of us make is overloading the dishwasher, she says.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
It felt cold, which probably meant it was so hot it was overloading Annabeth’s nerves.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
