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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
Verb
-
Allen was also charged with discharging a firearm during a violent crime and transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
23 May 2026
-
Bigelow was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
As Rosneqvist celebrated by sipping milk, then dumping it over his head, Malukas was consoled by his father in pit lane.—
Michael Marot,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
-
Families living in a toxic-waste polluted area around Naples were preparing to meet Pope Leo XIV during his pastoral visit on Saturday, carrying with them years of grief, anger and hopes for justice after losing children to cancer linked to a multi-billion mafia racket of dumping toxic waste.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
This last element is worth unpacking a bit.—
Ian Mackenzie,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
Good Communication Exceptional CEOs are fantastic at unpacking complex strategies and turning them into digestible ideas and actionable steps.—
Nancy Padberg,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
At another plant in Singapore, Polen says, BD had been discarding about 200 needles each shift, for 50 years, because they’d get clogged in the sandblasting process used to remove metal burrs.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
22 May 2026
-
Voibe keeps everything local, processing audio directly on the Mac and discarding it immediately after transcription, and a lifetime subscription is only $40 right now (reg.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Are people evacuating beyond the evacuation zone?—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
The order also stated that Eastland prioritized evacuating herself and her kids during the flood without guiding others.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
