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
In recent weeks, powerful atmospheric river storms have swept across Washington, Oregon and California, unloading enormous amounts of rain.
—
Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
As condo owners have been slapped with high fees and assessments that make their units difficult to sell, Zalewski expects people to start unloading their units and taking major losses.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
That would include unloading shortstop Corey Seager.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Dec. 2025
The technology is geared at speeding up the process of unloading trucks at warehouses, which often takes four or more staffers and can be physically demanding.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Yolo County officials in a news release Wednesday afternoon said the two dump trucks were unloading at the facility when one of the trucks had an undisclosed accident causing its load to tip over onto the adjacent truck’s cab and its driver.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 10 Dec. 2025
First responders found that a trailer portion of one dump truck landed on the cab of another dump truck while unloading.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
The remote control is designed to enable precise control of steering, braking, and loading/unloading operations during an emergency.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025
Bay and La, along with Pah Reh, 21, and Luh Reh, 23, were arrested and charged with murder after Kaing was killed by bullet from a nearby shooting while unloading food from her car outside her Xenia Street apartment complex on July 15, 2022.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
Farshid Vahedifard, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
As condo owners have been slapped with high fees and assessments that make their units difficult to sell, Zalewski expects people to start unloading their units and taking major losses.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
That would include unloading shortstop Corey Seager.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Dec. 2025
The technology is geared at speeding up the process of unloading trucks at warehouses, which often takes four or more staffers and can be physically demanding.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Yolo County officials in a news release Wednesday afternoon said the two dump trucks were unloading at the facility when one of the trucks had an undisclosed accident causing its load to tip over onto the adjacent truck’s cab and its driver.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 10 Dec. 2025
First responders found that a trailer portion of one dump truck landed on the cab of another dump truck while unloading.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
The remote control is designed to enable precise control of steering, braking, and loading/unloading operations during an emergency.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025
Bay and La, along with Pah Reh, 21, and Luh Reh, 23, were arrested and charged with murder after Kaing was killed by bullet from a nearby shooting while unloading food from her car outside her Xenia Street apartment complex on July 15, 2022.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
Verb
-
Medenbach revealed that after 100 charging and discharging cycles, the lab cell showed no significant degradation.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Denver Health has aided these efforts by investing in strategic partnerships that provide alternatives to discharging hospitalized patients back to the streets.—
Sarah Stella,
The Conversation,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Countries like China let their industries pollute freely, dumping chemicals into rivers, pumping toxins into the air and throwing plastics into the ocean.—
Chip Lamarca,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Lately on TikTok, people have been dumping frozen orange juice concentrate into blenders alongside Greek yogurt, bananas, and other fridge and pantry staples to recreate the viral Orange Julius smoothie.—
Ashia Aubourg,
Outside,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Nothing is worse than unpacking your suitcase and seeing that your overpriced moisturizer has spilled onto your favorite sweater—avoid that kind of mess with the Crush Toiletry Bag, available in several fun shades.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
-
For ease of setup, there are some mattresses that arrive in a box and expand to their full size after unpacking.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
How To Prep Blueberries Before Washing Before cleaning, spread fresh blueberries onto a plate or tray and sort through, discarding any moldy, shriveled, or crushed berries, along with stray stems or leaves.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The Fix-It Fair is designed to help community members breathe new life into their beloved but broken items, rather than discarding them.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Before Maduro was captured, AP reported Russia had started evacuating families of diplomats from Venezuela.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
At a recent event providing health services to those affected, MusiCares says many participants shared stories of evacuating with only a few minutes notice, forcing some to leave behind their means of livelihood – instruments and studios, some of which the organization has helped to replace.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And Gen Zers are leading the charge in ditching paper for plastic.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Weekends have a different vibe altogether — wedding parties, Bay Area couples ditching the Central Valley heat, city dwellers chasing a calmer scene.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The loss dropped Sacramento to 8-29, half a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst record in the Western Conference, while the Kings’ losing streak extended to six games.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The pair have both been criticised for their roles in England losing the Ashes in Australia yet again, with the home side wrapping up the series in a record-equalling 11 days.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share