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 Kahn’s heirs unloaded the place in 1939, a few years after his death, and it was chopped up over the years to serve as retirement housing for city workers, a military training compound, and a boarding school, per Forbes. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 25 Sep. 2026 This tricky false flat unloads the suspension before a hard dive into Turn 2’s double apex lefthander, where the Bimota’s active-aero winglets require serious commitment to truly appreciate. — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026 Walter just unloaded his share in the Chelsea team of Premier League soccer. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for unload

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unload

Verb

In the below interview, Badland unpacks Mae’s legacy left on the series, transitioning from the men’s team dynamic of the first three seasons to the Lady Greyhounds and how Mae might come up in the finale episode.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
There’s a lot to unpack with Nicki Minaj’s 2011 look—and that was exactly the point.

— Amanda Le, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of unpack

Verb

Michael Conforto dumped a full beer down the back of an unsuspecting Carson Kelly while across the room Shota Imanaga threw his head back, opened his arms and let out a yell as assistant hitting coach Juan Cabreja uncorked the champagne.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Unlike institutional investors, who rely on algorithms to dump underperforming shares at the first sign of trouble, Coyle says retail buyers are more likely to stick around in good times and bad.

— Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of dump

Verb

The arrests occurred near the village of Whelford, roughly 2 miles from the base, and Gloucestershire police evacuated local residents to a nearby leisure center.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2026
Police cordoned off three trucks at the scene and evacuated about 85 households as bomb-disposal specialists and the army investigated.

— Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of evacuate

Verb

Technologies, markets, laws and cultural assumptions all determine what is discarded, what is kept and why.

— Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
The Radical Approach Generally, a semiconductor wafer (up to 12 inches in diameter) is diced up into chips or dies, and any defective parts of the wafer can be discarded.

— Nandan Nayampally, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of discard

Verb

Healthcare organizations already have the systems (electronic health records; admission, discharge and transfer feeds; and so on), but the data is sitting in reports and dashboards instead of driving real-time decisions.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
The team from Vanderbilt University and the University of Maryland used chlorine to enable sulfur atoms to exchange a third electron during charging and discharging.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of discharge

Verb

Opponents of ditching testing requirements argued that the exams are a key tool to uniformly predict academic success from students of divergent backgrounds, as well as schools that may issue grades differently.

— Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
With that hub in mind, design firm Studio De Voogt, along with the engineering and naval architects at Feadship, crafted an expansive open space at the core of Hive, ditching the conventional superyacht interior entirely.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 25 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

House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said there could be a homestead exemption or a mechanism that ensures people don’t lose their housing.

— Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Peggy Tanous isn’t there because she was inexplicably invited to RHUGT instead, and Peggy Sulahian isn’t there because Alex Baskin lost her number the second that season ended.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

unlivable

unload

unloaded

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Cite this Entry

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“Unload.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unload. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unload

verb

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