unload
Americanverb (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.
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)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unload
Explanation
To unload is to remove cargo from a vehicle or shipping carton. Unload can also mean to discharge or get rid of something, or to get something off your chest. A clothing store might unload (remove) a hundred cartons from the delivery truck, and then unload (unpack) shirts and pants from the cartons. If a carton of clothes is imperfect, the store might send them back or unload (dispossess themselves of) them by selling them cheaply to a factory-seconds outlet. Then the store manager, depending on her mood, might unload on (give a tongue-lashing to) the manufacturer for shipping shoddy products.
Vocabulary lists containing unload
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.
Morgan is recommending with Lithium Americas: Unload it.
From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025
Unload your anxieties by sticking to the couch.
From Washington Post • Sep. 17, 2017
Write to Liz Moyer at [email protected] A version of this article appeared August 15, 2012, on page C3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Heavy Hitters Unload Banks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 15, 2012
Unload them and have the IRS share in your pain.
From Forbes • Jun. 21, 2012
"Unload the probe and stow the supplies. I'm going to help Beck and Vogel de-suit."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
