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 Injuries and off-court discipline led the team to unload him this offseason to Portland. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026 Once unloaded, that flour went on pallets and was stored in the warehouse and then loaded on ships to be sent overseas. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026 As they were stopped at a red light on the Strip, a white Cadillac pulled up alongside their vehicle and a gunman unloaded his weapon. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 Riley worked a full count and then unloaded on a 3-2 splitter that caught too much of the plate. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unload

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unload

Verb

The family had gathered on July 27, 2019, and Sneed was staying at her brother's new home on Eagle Drive in Mansfield, joining others to help unpack and mark the occasion.

— Doug Myers, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
There’s a lot to unpack in the dime novel origins of the Western, as well as the dime novel to Wild West show pipeline, which was instrumental in creating global legends out of folk heroes like Buffalo Bill Cody.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of unpack

Verb

Forecasters warn Lala could dump up to 25 inches of rain on steep terrain, driving life-threatening flooding, mudslides, storm surge and dangerous surf that imperil rural residents and key agricultural areas.

— Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
The storm was expected to dump more than a foot of rain on much of the Big Island, with isolated amounts over 2 feet possible.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of dump

Verb

Residents in the tiny rural town of Malden, located about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Spokane, had been urged Saturday to evacuate immediately.

— Jamie Stengle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2026
Typhoon Dolphin, the most powerful cyclone to hit China this year, made landfall in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang on Sunday, with more than one million people evacuated.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of evacuate

Verb

Alas, this compact between viewer and moviemaker is discarded in most contemporary comic book movies.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
While the business of cosmetically modified, futuristic-looking pets remains in its infancy, animal rights groups worry that eventually the creatures will be created, sold and later discarded in crowded municipal shelters.

— Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of discard

Verb

Locally, as more homeowners ditch the push-mower and purchase a small self-operating machine, the Paletsky family is helping M&H with sales, delivery and installation.

— Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
The driver continued into the University Park area before ditching the car in a neighborhood.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of ditch

Verb

The flip side of Salinger’s bleak depiction is a childhood full of free expression and natural development, unburdened by the power, rules, and discipline imposed by world-weary adults and those prone to power.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Is an ethical being unburdened by human nature going to act better than a human, or worse?

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of unburden

Verb

For Margarita Wray, the possibility of losing her son has turned the criminal case into an intensely personal fight for justice.

— Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Shakira Austin had 29 points and eight rebounds and Sonia Citron added 17 points and eight assists for Washington (19-14), which has lost two straight following a seven-game winning streak.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

unlivable

unload

unloaded

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

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Synonyms of unload

verb

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