plural loads
1
a
: something that is lifted and carried
He lifted the load onto his shoulders.
donkeys hauling/carrying large loads
She was carrying a heavy load of legal documents in her briefcase.
a light load
b
: an amount that can be carried at one time : an amount that fills something (such as a truck)
He picked up a load of firewood and carried it into the house.
The truck was carrying a full load of sand.
a load of laundry [=the amount of laundry that can fit into a washing machine]
—often used in combinationan armload of firewood
a truckload of sand
a boatload of tourists
2
somewhat technical
: the weight that is carried or supported by something
Losing weight will lessen the load on your knees.
a load-bearing wall [=a wall that supports the weight of a building]
3
a
: something that causes worry or sadness
His death is a heavy load to bear.
The good news has really taken a load off my mind. [=has allowed me to stop worrying; has made me feel relieved]
b
: a difficult responsibility
There's a lot of work to be done, and you have to carry/bear your share of the load. [=you have to do your share of the work]
I wish there were some way I could help lift this load [=weight, burden] from his shoulders.
The company is trying to reduce its debt load. [=the amount of money that it owes]
4
informal
a
: a large amount of something
They had a load of trouble.
—usually pluralWe had loads of fun.
The house has loads of room.
I have loads [=many things] to do today.
b
—used in phrases like a load of garbage, a load of trash, a load of hot air, etc., to say that something is worthless
I think their ideas are a load of garbage!
5
a
: the amount of work done or expected to be done
a full load of teaching work
She's taking a full/heavy course load this semester.
b
technical
: the amount of work done by a machine
the load on an engine
c
technical
: the amount of power used by an electrical device or produced by a power source
The electrical system failed because it couldn't handle the load.
loads; loaded; loading
1
a
: to put an amount of something in or on (something)
load a truck with packages
We loaded (up) the car and drove off.
Workers were loading and unloading the ships as they came into port.
We loaded up and drove off.
b
: to put (an amount of something) into or onto something
load packages on/onto a truck
We loaded our luggage in/into the car and drove off.
Workers were loading cargo on/onto the ships.
c
: to supply (someone or something) with a large amount of something
Mom loaded me (up) with supplies for the hike.
She loaded the table with all kinds of delicious foods.
My sister loaded [=filled] her plate with mashed potatoes and corn.
2
: to put something necessary into a machine or device so that it can be used
load a camera with film = load film into a camera
load a gun (with bullets) = load bullets into a gun
load a tape into the VCR
The film didn't load properly.
3
a
of a boat, vehicle, etc.
: to be boarded by (passengers)
The bus stopped to load a few more passengers.
b
: to go onto something (such as a boat or vehicle)
The passengers loaded on/onto the bus.
4
computers
: to cause (a program, file, etc.) to begin being used or displayed by a computer
load a program
load a new Web page
The program takes less time to load than it used to.
5
baseball
: to put runners on (first, second, and third base)
He drew a walk to load the bases.
The bases are loaded. [=there are runners on each of the bases]
Cite this Entry
“Load.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/load. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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