1
as in discharging
to empty or rid of cargo
the dockworkers unloaded the ship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unloading
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
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.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Workers were apparently unloading sulfuric acid from a railcar at the site using compressed air, which firefighters described as a standard procedure.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Nicole TungIndonesian fishermen unloading various species including sharks and wedgefish, which are one of the most threatened species, in Tegal, Indonesia, last June.
—Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 3 May 2026
While unloading his veterans at the trade deadline in February, Karnišovas dealt Dosunmu to Minnesota along with Julian Phillips for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round draft picks.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
McCall recommends unloading it while making coffee, and for extra efficiency, loading dishes from breakfast before heading out.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
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
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.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Workers were apparently unloading sulfuric acid from a railcar at the site using compressed air, which firefighters described as a standard procedure.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Nicole TungIndonesian fishermen unloading various species including sharks and wedgefish, which are one of the most threatened species, in Tegal, Indonesia, last June.
—Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 3 May 2026
While unloading his veterans at the trade deadline in February, Karnišovas dealt Dosunmu to Minnesota along with Julian Phillips for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round draft picks.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
McCall recommends unloading it while making coffee, and for extra efficiency, loading dishes from breakfast before heading out.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
Verb
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Braden Peters, an online influencer known as Clavicular, was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to complete 20 hours of community service after pleading no contest in an agreement with Florida prosecutors to unlawfully discharging a firearm in public.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 May 2026
-
Wearing a suit, the streamer, whose name is Braden Eric Peters, pleaded no contest to unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place, a misdemeanor.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Foreign governments are dumping US Treasury bonds to stabilize their currencies amid the energy shock and financial volatility triggered by the Iran war.—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
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Ferm Living stackable metal baskets keep you from dumping clothes in a pile.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Transforming the cabin from sitting to sleeping is a group effort that includes unpacking the ladder (usually stowed beneath the seats with the luggage), unfastening the upper bunks, and making the beds.—
Emily Manthei,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
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As Aronimink Golf Club prepares for the top golfers in the world, chefs are busy chopping fruits and vegetables, unpacking meats, and getting ready to serve thousands of spectators during the PGA Championship.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Hull and Ames also face charges of tampering with physical evidence for discarding an expandable baton allegedly used to assault the Moberly teen, records indicate.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
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Rather than discarding the residual sludge left behind after conventional anaerobic digestion, the system subjects it to an additional treatment stage known as Advanced Wet Oxidation and Steam Explosion (AWOEx).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Aerial footage of the fire showed clouds of thick smoke, several water-dropping helicopters and residents evacuating their homes.—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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Officers began evacuating other homes in the neighborhood as the fire grew and gunshots continued to ring out in the neighborhood.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Hangers That Don’t Match Since her clients hire her to help create a clean, organized look, Tonia Tomlin of Sorted Out, a professional organizing company in Dallas, Texas, heads right for the closets and starts ditching all hangers that don’t match.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
22 May 2026
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Just weeks after ditching her signature red hair for her lightest hue in years, the Interstellar actress gave her new bob a quiet luxury twist, styling her bright shoulder-length locks in an unexpected hairstyle.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
21 May 2026
Verb
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The Sox allowed six runs in the inning, losing 10-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,172.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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If ancient lineages like Hexanchiformes truly sit near the base of the shark family tree, losing them to overfishing or habitat destruction would erase disproportionately deep evolutionary heritage.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
23 May 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 24 May. 2026.
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