upload

American  

[uhp-lohd] / ˈʌpˌloʊd /

verb (used with object)

• uploads,
  present (3rd person singular)
• uploaded,
  past participle,  past
• uploading
  present participle

1. to transfer (software, data, character sets, etc.) from a smaller to a larger computer.

---

noun

• uploads
  plural

1. software, data, etc., that has been uploaded.

2. the act or process of uploading.

upload British  

/ ʌpˈləʊd /

verb

1. (tr) to copy or transfer (data or a program) from one's own computer into the memory of another computer Compare download

---

upload Scientific  

/ ŭp′lōd′ /

1. To transfer data or programs from one's own computer or digital device to a server or host computer.

2. Compare download

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• uploads
  plural

Participles

• uploading
  present
• uploaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• upload
  simple
• uploads
  simple
• have uploaded
  perfect
• has uploaded
  perfect
• am uploading
  progressive
• are uploading
  progressive
• is uploading
  progressive
• have been uploading
  perfect progressive
• has been uploading
  perfect progressive

Past

• uploaded
  simple
• had uploaded
  perfect
• was uploading
  progressive
• were uploading
  progressive
• had been uploading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will upload
  simple
• will have uploaded
  perfect
• will be uploading
  progressive
• will have been uploading
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of upload

up- + load

---

Explanation

When you send any kind of data from your computer to the internet, you upload it. Want to change your social media profile picture? Just upload a new photo — maybe that one of you and your cat dressed in matching sweaters! Any time you share photos online, submit an assignment to the school website, or even send an email, you upload data. Typically this means transferring electronic information from an individual computer to a larger network or server. To download is the exact opposite — when you download something, you transfer it from a server to your computer. Both words date from about 1980.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upload uploads uploaded uploading

Nature's journals forbid AI-generated images and tell referees never to upload a manuscript into an AI system.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

To do that, anyone who scans the QR code on the poster has to fill out a questionnaire, upload a photo and include a link to their LinkedIn profile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Then we needed to upload fire and sanitation inspection reports.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Another online user created an AI song that has amassed over 1.5 million views since its upload on Aug. 25.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Wrong side out under crafts. That’s perfect. We can take a photo of this puzzle and upload it for our clue when we get back to our building.”

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Deezer, a French streaming platform, recently disclosed that up to 90,000 AI tracks are being uploaded to its platform daily, representing more than 50% of its new music uploads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Trained entirely on a given pastor’s sermons and teaching, PastorGPT refreshes itself automatically each week by downloading and transcribing new sermon uploads from YouTube.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Music streaming site Deezer systematically flags tracks generated with AI, which the company recently said appear in close to half of new uploads.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The online trailer for Backrooms quickly became one of A24's most-viewed uploads, with 31m views.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Or people who smell funny, wear sweatpants, or don’t like her Instagram posts as soon as she uploads them.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

The BBC asked Spotify when the single and lyrics were uploaded, when the error was noticed and when it will be replaced, but did not receive a response.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

They maintained regular contact via Skype before Hila moved to Ethan’s college town of Santa Cruz, according to a 2017 video uploaded by the pair to their YouTube channel, h3h3Productions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Thorne said if the photograph contained other children, it raises an additional issue because their parents may have no idea that an image of their child has been uploaded to an AI system.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

We emailed back, asking for clarity and noting we had already uploaded the inspection reports.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

“Saved what? I’m a freak! You saved an uploaded artificial freak!”

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

He began uploading shorts to his YouTube channel in early 2006 — and it’s a credit to his self-effacing style that they’re still online today.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

"I can understand entirely why they did that, but they did not seem to appreciate that uploading and manipulating images of children in this way can carry real privacy and safeguarding risks."

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

An AI safety expert said he understood why people did it, and that it may seem harmless, but uploading any identifiable information, including photographs, was "not worth the risk".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Half has gone towards development, including a mobile app for uploading animal sightings and an AI system that helps humans verify observations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

“I’m uploading all of these to the cloud, so they’re not being stored on my phone. We have a megaton of video, so that was the best option.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---