front loader

noun

plural front loaders or front-loaders
1
: a washing machine with a horizontally positioned drum and a door that opens at the front : a washing machine that is loaded from the front
With a front loader, leave the door ajar so the inside can dry out between uses. This will keep the machine from getting musty.Good Housekeeping
More and more households are switching from top-loading washers with agitators—the familiar old standbys most of us have used for decades—to … front-loaders.Consumer Reports
2
: front-end loader
The driver … did not see the front loader clearing snow … and rear-ended the vehicle.Lindsay Moore

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of front loader was in 1927

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Front loader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/front%20loader. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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