overload
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
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.
Even the best analysts have off-days, caused by either fatigue, distraction or cognitive overload.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026
Along with sensory overload and ravenous hunger, I felt something unexpected: a sense of déjà vu.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
He made his return in Copper Mountain in November, but the federation said the latest injury was caused by "an overload".
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
In a post-quarantine landscape marked by isolation and digital overload, fans described a hunger for physical spaces where online connection could translate into real-world presence.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2026
He just didn’t get it; his brain was on overload trying to compute the sheer impossibility of the situation.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
