1
as in discharging
to empty or rid of cargo
the dockworkers unloaded the ship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dumping
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
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Recent Examples of unloading
His predecessor, Doug McMillon, followed a similarly humble path—starting out unloading trailers at a Walmart distribution center before eventually taking the top job.
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 7 June 2026
The incoming team's portion of the cost was $32 million, including chartering the ship and loading and unloading the gear.
—Arkansas Online, 6 June 2026
Down in the pit, on a raw October night in 1966, one of the giant haulers was unloading its tonnage when the pistons of its dump bed seized up.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Durable enough to handle the elements, this waterproof light features a comfortable elastic strap and a bright, adjustable beam that improves visibility while keeping both hands free for unloading luggage, handling car repairs, or setting up camp in the dark.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026
At this moment, on this Saturday morning, crew members representing nearly every team focused their attention on one specific team unloading one specific car.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 23 May 2026
Perry dropped Diaz with a knee in the closing seconds, unloading uppercuts, elbows and hooks as Diaz tried to bounce away from the fence.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Although Drake’s clear goal with this triple drop is unloading the clip, there’s a semblance to the sprawl.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
Preston Fore, Fortune, 7 June 2026
The incoming team's portion of the cost was $32 million, including chartering the ship and loading and unloading the gear.
—Arkansas Online, 6 June 2026
Down in the pit, on a raw October night in 1966, one of the giant haulers was unloading its tonnage when the pistons of its dump bed seized up.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Durable enough to handle the elements, this waterproof light features a comfortable elastic strap and a bright, adjustable beam that improves visibility while keeping both hands free for unloading luggage, handling car repairs, or setting up camp in the dark.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2026
At this moment, on this Saturday morning, crew members representing nearly every team focused their attention on one specific team unloading one specific car.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 23 May 2026
Perry dropped Diaz with a knee in the closing seconds, unloading uppercuts, elbows and hooks as Diaz tried to bounce away from the fence.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Although Drake’s clear goal with this triple drop is unloading the clip, there’s a semblance to the sprawl.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
Verb
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Because of this mechanism, supercapacitors feature rapid charging and discharging capabilities, along with exceptionally long operational lifetimes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
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He was subsequently fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) device – a type of pacemaker intended to prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore regular heart rhythm – and eventually returned to play top-flight soccer after less than a year.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The film showed a bowl of soup, and then a hand dumping oyster crackers into it (something of the pottage equivalent of marshmallows in hot chocolate).—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
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Start by dumping of that new, spicy chicken sandwich and bringing back the original one - which was by far better than every other chicken sandwich, IMHO.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Bianca Betancourt,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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Nilles proved herself both fierce and precise behind the kit, unpacking every nuance of Peart’s playing, from her fluid waves of tom-tom fills to her snappy hi-hat work.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Baking soda isn't a cure-all for digestive discomfort, but proper soaking, discarding the soaking liquid, and gradually increasing your bean intake may help.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
8 June 2026
-
His experience across retail and institutional pharmacy environments informs a view grounded in workflow mechanics, data pipelines, and system reliability, discarding broad claims about automation for focused analysis.—
Ethan Stone
June 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The fights, Johnson said, were largely concentrated in the entrance area to the festival, and officers split their focus between breaking up fights and evacuating other festival attendees.—
Ilana Arougheti
June 10,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
-
Footage shared by the Irish Independent shows the emergency services evacuating people from burning homes on a residential street as sirens blare in the background.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Earlier this week, Anne Hathaway was spotted ditching restrictive denim in favor of roomy white palazzo pants while on the set of The Devil Wears Prada 2 — just weeks after Meryl Streep did the same while walking around New York City.—
Averi Baudler,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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That’s because eaters aren’t ditching pizza.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Then, in the bottom of the inning, Kennedy throws a pitch near Greinke’s head, and pandemonium breaks out, with both benches and bullpens emptying again, and players and even coaches going at each other.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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Basement dehumidifiers can require continual emptying in summer, so use one with a drain hose for easy operation.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The reigning Super Bowl champions still hold a two-game advantage in the NFC East standings and will look to stop their losing skid in Week 14.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
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Ertz has 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns this season — all of which rank second on the team, which is 3-10 after losing eight games in a row.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unloading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloading. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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