unload

verb

ˌən-ˈlōd How to pronounce unload (audio)
Definition of unloadnext
1
as in to unpack
to empty or rid of cargo the dockworkers unloaded the ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted I can't seem to unload this old car—even the charities won't take it!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unload Wallace lingered in the car for a few minutes once slowing to a stop, though — long enough for health workers to unload a stretcher that Wallace ultimately didn’t use. — Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026 While traffic has dipped in response, ships continue to cross, with many making shuttle runs in and out of the Gulf to unload oil cargoes via ship-to-ship transfers. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 During Trautman’s visit in the fall of 1942, when matériel was unloaded off the coast of Australia, it was stacked on the beaches, fully exposed to the elements. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 Down the street, metal striking concrete rattles the air as a repairman unloads a ladder. — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unload
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unload
  1. unpack
  2. dump
  3. evacuate
  4. discard
  5. discharge
  6. ditch
  7. unburden
  8. lose
Verb
  • Leaders from Germany’s RTL Deutschland unpacked their partnership with YouTube at a Mipcom session.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There’s plenty to unpack about the troubled relationship between young scuba diver Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) and his late father Mitt (Josh Brolin).
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpack
Verb
  • The account provides helpful context for understanding the public drama of Musk suddenly dumping Shivon Zilis, his most recent partner and the mother of four of his kids.
    — Sheelah Kolhatkar, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Alex Freeland dumped beer into his mouth and all over his face.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of dump
Verb
  • Residents in central Gaza returned home to assess the damage caused by Israeli strikes after they had been warned to evacuate the day before.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from at-risk areas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of evacuate
Verb
  • Once discarded, these traps also inadvertently capture birds and other wildlife.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Responses with the error were discarded, as were voters who had already been attempted, and quotas were reset.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Pike was discharged from the hospital and returned to the women’s prison where she was housed for 30 years, her lawyers said Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The challenge aims to create designs that would safely discharge the astronaut and their spacesuit before an astronaut touches the lander.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of discharge
Verb
  • The latest unit retains the same first six forward ratios as the outgoing Carrera T’s manual transmission, but ditches its predecessor’s somewhat awkward and largely superfluous seventh gear.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Josh O’Connor has stepped out in a perfectly boxy and slouchy gray pinstriped suit, while Benito Skinner has embraced the timeless three-piece suit—only to ditch the blazer, throw it over his shoulders, and rock the vest.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • A lot of other researchers have published essays or long posts on social media, unburdening themselves of their concerns as well.
    — Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026
  • These outsiders, like executives or academics from different fields, offer crucial external perspectives, unburdened by internal assumptions or politics.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of unburden
Verb
  • As music factories and generative tools take over entry-level work, newcomers risk losing a vital foothold in the industry.
    — Ben Croll, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • So instead of making teams whole each time, the NFL now just pays teams’ travel expenses for their international game under the rationale that every team will lose a home game—and, in turn, home game ticket revenue—during that time.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

unlivable
unload
unloaded
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Cite this Entry

“Unload.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unload. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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