UNLOAD Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

unload

verb

ˌən-ˈlōd

Definition of unload

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

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 An employee was also observed loading dirty dishes into a dish rack and subsequently unloading clean dishes from a dish rack without washing their hands. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026 Both Republicans unloaded on Cooper's tenure as governor, with Trump blaming Cooper for a grisly North Carolina murder and accusing him of doing nothing to help the state after Hurricane Helene inflicted widespread damage in 2024. — Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026 Adjacent to it, waves of waste spread across a valley as smoke rises and trucks unload more trash. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Stitt pushes and unloads the heavy cart while Bayless guides the way with their list, checking off household staples like bottled water, sugar and toilet paper. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unload

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unload

Verb

Ultimately, Taylor’s journey was a lesson in how simple pleasures are often the most enduring souvenirs—internal keepsakes that linger long after the last bag is unpacked.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
In the below interview, Scanlon further unpacks the denouement of the film, full-circle moments, working in the romantic comedy space and whether a Hazelwood cameo was discussed.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of unpack

Verb

Rains could dump more than 2 feet across islands still recovering from a string of storms.

— MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said thunderstorms were already dumping heavy rain across the region, with more rain on the horizon.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of dump

Verb

As the news of the helicopter crash spread, media crews from the bus accident scene began rushing to the helicopter site and were told by law enforcement to evacuate because the situation was too dangerous, NBC4 footage showed.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Following the incident, police swiftly evacuated nearby businesses and parking garages.

— Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of evacuate

Verb

A number of items were voluntarily discarded due to contamination, including cling film, ovenable pan liners and baking cups.

— Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Keep what users genuinely value, discard what solves an imaginary problem and rebuild only what deserves another experiment.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of discard

Verb

Peters and two other men were summoned to appear on charges of discharging a gun in public.

— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
But construction at the plant will require about half of the stack's normal output to discharge out of the building closer to Hoan Bridge, MMSD said.

— Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of discharge

Verb

Restaurateurs, especially small or family-run businesses, are ditching graphic designers and food photographers in favor of much cheaper AI agents.

— Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Costco ditches its Kirkland beer Pope Leo XIV, who grew up listening to popular American television preacher Archbishop Fulton Sheen, praised his fellow Illinois clergyman as an inspiration today on the eve of Sheen’s beatification.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 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

Success loses some of its shine when your private world is absorbing all the strain.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 25 Sep. 2026
Apple had introduced the iPhone just two months earlier, and Brown concluded that his company had no future in smartphones, which were losing hundreds of millions of dollars a quarter.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

unlivable

unload

unloaded

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Style

“Unload.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unload. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unload

verb

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