unload

American

[uhn-lohd] / ʌnˈloʊd /

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.

unload British

/ ʌnˈləʊd /

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)

"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

Other Word Forms

self-unloading adjective
unloader noun

Etymology

Origin of unload

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

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.

District Judge Zahid Quraishi to unload on career prosecutors last Monday, throwing one out of the courtroom and ordering the “triumvirate” to testify under oath about their illegal leadership structure.

From Slate • Mar. 24, 2026

Going to the post office or grocery store gives them the opportunity to unload while also allowing you both to cross something off your to-do lists.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

A second Grimaldi car carrier heading from Asia to the lucrative Middle Eastern market is still looking for somewhere to unload, while a third is trapped in the Gulf itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

The company has until Feb. 21 to unload the shares without suffering tax consequences, according to a registration filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made last year.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

One morning later on in the summer, Omakayas’s mother, sister, grandma, and Little Pinch all wanted to go into the village and see the big canoes that had arrived to unload furs at the trader’s.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023