unload

[uhn-lohd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unload ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to take the load from; remove the cargo or freight from: to unload a truck; to unload a cart.

to remove or discharge (a load, group of people, etc.): to unload passengers.

to remove the charge from (a firearm).

to relieve of anything burdensome, oppressive, etc.: He unloaded his responsibilities.

to get rid of (goods, shares of stock, etc.) by sale in large quantities.

verb (used without object)

to unload something.

Informal. to relieve one's stress by talking, confessing, or the like.

Origin of unload

First recorded in 1515–25; un-² + load

Related formsun·load·er, nounself-un·load·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for unload

dump, disgorge, jettison, remove, discharge, unpack, off-load, disencumber, lighten, relieve, cast, unlade, void, disburden, slough, discommode, rid, unburden

Examples from the Web for unload

Contemporary Examples of unload

A punching bag as treasury secretary, Geithner finally gets to unload in ‘Stress Test.’
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From Timothy Geithner’s New Memoir
William O’Connor
May 13, 2014
After the exam, they often invite applicants to unload any mental burdens they might be carrying.
On Polygraph Tests, Would-Be Border Patrol Agents Confess to Crimes
Andrew Becker
April 4, 2013
I have the sense that Palin would really like to unload on Mitt and campaign for Newt.
Palin’s Delicate Dance with Newt
Howard Kurtz
February 7, 2012
Which is why it was refreshing to see former Utah governor Jon Huntsman unload on rivals for appealing to the fringes.
Paging Reasonable Republicans
Mark McKinnon
August 22, 2011
And if you know you won't be traveling before those miles expire, this is a great way to unload them for a good cause.
Don't Be a Scrooge!
The Daily Beast
December 16, 2009

Historical Examples of unload

I made them unload the drays and carry the loads to firm ground.
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia
Thomas Mitchell
In the days of astrology it was customary to unload it upon a star.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
Some of them did not unload, but others dumped piles of freight by the docks.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
We'll unload in the pool rooms on the Coast, same as we did before.
Old Man Curry
Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan
If it was Esther Tidditt she could unload her cargo of gossip at some other port.
Fair Harbor
Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for unload

unload

verb

to remove a load or cargo from (a ship, lorry, etc)

to discharge (cargo, freight, etc)

(tr) to relieve of a burden or troubles

(tr) to give vent to (anxiety, troubles, etc)

(tr) to get rid of or dispose of (esp surplus goods)

(tr) to remove the charge of ammunition from (a firearm)

Derived Formsunloader, noun

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

Word Origin and History for unload

1520s, in reference to cargo, from un- (2) + load (v.). Figurative sense (in reference to feelings, etc.) is recorded from 1590s. Related: Unloaded; unloading.