workload

noun

work·​load ˈwərk-ˌlōd 

1

: the amount of work or of working time expected or assigned

students with a heavy workload

2

: the amount of work performed or capable of being performed (as by a mechanical device) usually within a specific period

Examples of workload in a Sentence

Students complained about the heavy workload.

Recent Examples on the Web

With VMware’s strategic changes complicating future planning, Topgolf decided to migrate its on-premises workloads, including those for its venues, offices, labs, and data centers. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026

Something in your routine, schedule, or workload may feel disproportionately annoying or demanding, especially if too many little things pile up at once. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 2026

Automation moves forward Powerus describes Guardian-3 as the next step in reducing operator workload across its interceptor family. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026

Managers who learn to do this well stop seeing delegation as a way to clear their workload and start using it as a method for developing capability and improving decision quality across the organization. — Thomas Lim, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for workload

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

Kids Definition

workload

noun

work·​load ˈwərk-ˌlōd 

1

: the amount of work or of working time expected or assigned

students with a heavy workload

2

: the amount of work performed or capable of being performed usually within a specific period

a machine's workload