unloading

verb

present participle of unload
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

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 unloading The stevedores of the ship (who were responsible for loading and unloading ships at the port) were also on a break. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026 The girl and the driver got out and started unloading her things. — Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026 Parents groused that loading and unloading kids in the R1S could be a headache, especially with a child’s seat in the second row. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2026 The timing shook out nicely, considering Berg would go on to be tapped to succeed Don Garber as MLS’ next commissioner and has subsequently been tasked with unloading his sizable ownership stake in LAFC. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Despite unloading several key players before Monday’s trade deadline, the Orioles remain in the thick of the AL wild-card race after winning the first two games of this series against the last-place Angels. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Despite unloading several key players before Monday's trade deadline, the Orioles remain in the thick of the AL wild-card race after winning the first two games of this series against the last-place Angels. — CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 FedEx is expanding on a robotics pilot to bring autonomous trailer loading and unloading capabilities to a Maryland distribution hub. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026 Broken Items Vacation puts lots of wear and tear on items, whether due to fun in the sun or just loading or unloading luggage. — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 26 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
  1. discharging
  2. dumping
  3. unpacking
  4. discarding
  5. evacuating
  6. ditching
  7. off-loading
  8. losing
Verb
  • The approach could help these batteries store more energy while maintaining performance during rapid charging and discharging.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Ty Anderson was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and illegally discharging a firearm, police said in a news release Monday.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of discharging
Verb
  • Hawaii cleans up after Hurricane Lala Communities struggled to recover after Tropical Storm Lala sideswiped Hawaii as a Category 1 hurricane, sparing the islands a direct hit but dumping more than 3½ feet of rain that caused catastrophic flooding.
    — Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of dumping
Verb
  • But for the film’s main characters Marija (Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė) and Vytas (Marius Repšys), the conflict also serves, in part, as a distraction — a way to avoid unpacking their pain over their messy separation.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • For Thomas, unpacking what went wrong goes well beyond the headless bodies, terrifying phone calls and dead ends.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of unpacking
Verb
  • On Day 2, stir mixture and measure out 110 g (1/2 cup) of starter into a fresh container, discarding the rest (at this point, the discard is not ready to be used in recipes).
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The cruise line submitted a subsequent report detailing a range of corrective actions, from rewashing coffee urns to discarding the tray of bread where the fly was found.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of discarding
Verb
  • Officials say people evacuating should be prepared to stay away from home for several days, as unpredictable winds have complicated the fight to contain the blaze.
    — Maria Godoy, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Others need accessible transportation, interpretation services or assistance evacuating pets and family members.
    — Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of evacuating
Verb
  • New research has found that productivity really does dip over the peak summer months—and that’s because workers, from the front line to corporate management, are ditching their desks to enjoy the warm weather.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In 2018, Becerra, while serving as state attorney general, popped by Thomas’ golf tournament retirement party, ditching his security detail and fielding work calls from the links.
    — Ben Paviour August 17, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of ditching
Verb
  • The transaction contained fundamental flaws, and AT&T eventually reversed course by off-loading WarnerMedia and combining it with Discovery.
    — Paul Hardart, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Following quickly on the heels of spinning off Versant Media earlier this year, Comcast is now off-loading the entirety of NBCUniversal.
    — Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of off-loading
Verb
  • Northeastern Poland was affected by the storm, too, with over 100,000 people losing power.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • After scoring the game’s first run in the top of the 10th, the Angels gave up two with two outs in the bottom of the inning, losing to the Texas Rangers, 2-1, on Friday night, once again wasting a scoreless start from Reid Detmers.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of losing

Browse Nearby Words

unloaded
unloading
unloads
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unloading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloading. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All