UNLOADING Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

unloading

verb

present participle of unload

as in discharging

to empty or rid of cargo the dockworkers unloaded the ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 facility has more than 850 robots unloading auto parts, stamping out steel components, putting together car frames, and installing car doors, according to IEEE Spectrum. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026 The soccer coach was unloading balls from his vehicle in the alley behind his home when Wilson, wearing a mask, confronted him with a semiautomatic handgun that had a laser pointer. — Julie Hanson, CBS News, 13 July 2026 Their jobs involve unloading raw sugar arriving by ship at the C&H Sugar facility in Crockett. — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 9 July 2026 Cleveland has one or two roster moves to make to be able to pay James $15 million next season instead — unloading Max Strus and Dennis Schröder — but hasn’t done either yet. — Tony Jones, New York Times, 7 July 2026 This picture taken on March 26, 2026 shows an oil tanker unloading crude oil at a port in Yantai, in China's eastern Shandong province. — Justina Lee, CNBC, 6 July 2026 Crews have been seen unloading equipment from trucks this week — much of it covered or obscured — and barricades have been placed near the perimeter of the arena. — Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 4 July 2026 The streets have been shut down around the venue, with trucks unloading equipment for the most anticipated wedding in recent memory. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 3 July 2026 Additionally, on Monday, June 29, Page Six and TMZ reported that multiple trucks were seen unloading equipment at Madison Square Garden. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading

Verb

It has been validated under the demanding conditions of rapid battery charging and discharging.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
Lithium batteries in general are capable of discharging a greater percentage of their full capacity without any negative effects, commonly offering usable capacities of 80% or more.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026

Definition of discharging

Verb

Part of the issue was Disney’s decision to release the show, which had been completed since around 2024, all at once, dumping 22 episodes onto the platform with limited prior advertising.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
Flash flooding continues across South Central Texas as thunderstorms train over the same areas, dumping up to a foot of rain and triggering water rescues and road closures.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Definition of dumping

Verb

But people shouldn’t stop there, experts said — so unpacking other psychological, emotional and technological factors that limit critical thinking and empathy is important.

— Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
More than an intricate game of cat-and-mouse, the crime drama plays on the tensions between nature and nurture while unpacking the dangers and vulnerabilities that come with loving other people.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 July 2026

Definition of unpacking

Verb

Michigan public health officials have advised buying heads of lettuce rather than bagged salad mixes and discarding the outer two or three layers of leaves before washing the lettuce.

— Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
The affidavit alleges Roper tampered with physical evidence by discarding Erving's clothing and deleting communications with Erving from his cellphone.

— Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 13 July 2026

Definition of discarding

Verb

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have been recovering their rockets since 2015, saving vast amounts of money by recycling them rather than ditching them after liftoff.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
This season, The Invite actress is ditching sandals for the polished, rich-looking penny loafers she’s been sporting on repeat.

— Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 7 July 2026

Definition of ditching

Verb

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
Off-loading tasks such as writing code might result in cognitive atrophy over the long term, and that is problematic in itself, but off-loading ethical decisions will result in an atrophy of moral reasoning, which is worse.

— Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026

Definition of off-loading

Verb

His instinctive reaction, tearful after losing another final, was to throw in the towel, to announce his career with Argentina was over at the age of 29, to focus on his club career, which by comparison brought him so much joy and so little anxiety.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 19 July 2026
In his second run for governor, after losing to Pritzker by 13 percentage points in 2022, Bailey is again focusing much of his attention on crime and criticism of the SAFE-T Act, a law Pritzker signed in 2021.

— Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026

Definition of losing

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unloaded

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“Unloading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloading. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of unloading

verb

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