1
as in discharging
to empty or rid of cargo
the dockworkers unloaded the ship
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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!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unloading
Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.
—
Holly Gleason, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
An oil tanker unloading crude last week at the port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
Flight controllers on the ground will next take control of the arm to berth the Cygnus on the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity Node 1 for unloading.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Just be more careful when unloading.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Someone invents the shipping container to make loading and unloading cargo at ports faster and easier.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Previously, my husband and I would take turns unloading the dishwasher.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
On Tuesday, the coyote bit a young child twice in front of their home as family members were unloading their car.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
According to the Carson station, the child was bitten twice while family members were unloading a vehicle.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Holly Gleason, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
An oil tanker unloading crude last week at the port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
Flight controllers on the ground will next take control of the arm to berth the Cygnus on the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity Node 1 for unloading.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Just be more careful when unloading.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Someone invents the shipping container to make loading and unloading cargo at ports faster and easier.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Previously, my husband and I would take turns unloading the dishwasher.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
On Tuesday, the coyote bit a young child twice in front of their home as family members were unloading their car.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
According to the Carson station, the child was bitten twice while family members were unloading a vehicle.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
Verb
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But there is no indication that either of those entities is responsible for the pipe or the substances discharging from it.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
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The suit accuses the company of illegally discharging pollutants into Mission Bay in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and the park’s permit.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fillman and his diving instructor tapped into their survival instincts by dumping their heavy diving gear and tanks and tying themselves together with their remaining gear to prevent them from drifting apart.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Polls show voters give him poor marks on the issue and are leaning toward dumping his Republican allies in the forthcoming midterm congressional elections.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 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.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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The realities and challenges that come with romantic relationships are something Tierney is notably looking forward to unpacking in season two.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gaff agreed, and ultimately sampled a few flavors while discarding each piece of gum into small cups with lids, the outlet reported.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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Refresh plants in fall by harvesting and discarding the outer leaves to initiate new growth.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our teams activated to assist the crew in evacuating the aircraft and transported the passengers safely to the terminal.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Nearly 46 years to the day, C-130s were part of the rescue mission in Iran, again tasked with making a quick landing inside the country and then evacuating.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kansas City is ditching a city code that long required new development to include a certain amount of parking space, which helped turn a significant portion of the city’s usable land into surface-level parking lots.—
Dylan Lysen,
Kansas City Star,
10 Apr. 2026
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The video comes just days after Hudson pulled off a subtle hair transformation, ditching her boho waves for something sleeker.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McIlroy at least steadied himself after losing the lead.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
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The overwhelming grief of losing a child became even worse when a detective gave her a notebook from Audree’s locker.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic has raised concerns over students off-loading cognitive work to AI systems, and OpenAI has acknowledged that dependence on AI tools more generally is a problem.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
1 Dec. 2025
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The canister was still wedged in my crotch, off-loading its contents like a homemade Roman candle.—
Charlie Sheen,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Unloading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloading. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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