over·load
ˌō-vər-ˈlōd
overloaded; overloading; overloads
: to load (something or someone) to excess: such as
a
: to put too large a load on or in (something)
overload a ship
overload a washing machine
Overloading the trailer poses a safety risk.
… a bad winter can so overload roofs with snow that their collapses become endemic.—Henry Petroski
b
: to give too much of something to (someone or something) : to supply with an excess of something
overloading students with more information than they can retain
More than ever, the upper middle class is synonymous with the stressed-out class. Their bosses are overloading them with work …—Joseph Spiers
… have overloaded the market with too many strange designs and weird color combinations.—Mimi Valdés
a movie overloaded with special effects
a court system overloaded with criminal cases
c
: to cause too large a load in (something, such as an electrical circuit)
Too much current traveling through one circuit can cause an overload. The wires inside a wall can get too hot and start a fire. Using a special safety power strip can help prevent overloading a circuit.—Science
over·load
ˈō-vər-ˌlōd
plural overloads
: an excessive load or amount of something
an overload of cargo
an overload of details
If your dog is suffering from an overload of stress, he will appear depressed, inactive, sluggish and unresponsive.—Daniel Seligman
You fight your superficiality, your shallowness, so as to try to come at people without unreal expectations, without an overload of bias or hope or arrogance …—Philip Roth
If you're a regular reader of blogs, … you've probably been frustrated from time to time by information overload: the blogosphere creates way too much material for any human being to comfortably digest.—Chris Taylor
Large department stores tend to bring on sensory overload [=overstimulation of the senses] …—Stephen O'Shea and Joan Harting
Cite this Entry
“Overload.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overload. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.
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