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
Nataliia had gone to the bus station, where soldiers were spraying foam to contain the nuclear fallout, and to the hospital, where men in white coats were unloading victims on stretchers from the backs of ambulances.
—
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The Hauler has no cab (essentially a self-driving platform) and is designed for 40-foot and 53-foot shipping containers and runs dock-to-dock—unloading at the destination rather than dropping a trailer and leaving.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.
—Holly Gleason, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
An oil tanker unloading crude last week at the port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
Flight controllers on the ground will next take control of the arm to berth the Cygnus on the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity Node 1 for unloading.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Just be more careful when unloading.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Someone invents the shipping container to make loading and unloading cargo at ports faster and easier.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Previously, my husband and I would take turns unloading the dishwasher.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The Hauler has no cab (essentially a self-driving platform) and is designed for 40-foot and 53-foot shipping containers and runs dock-to-dock—unloading at the destination rather than dropping a trailer and leaving.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.
—Holly Gleason, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
An oil tanker unloading crude last week at the port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
Flight controllers on the ground will next take control of the arm to berth the Cygnus on the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity Node 1 for unloading.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Just be more careful when unloading.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Someone invents the shipping container to make loading and unloading cargo at ports faster and easier.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Previously, my husband and I would take turns unloading the dishwasher.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading
Verb
-
Allen will be arraigned Monday on charges, including assault of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in an attempt to kill a federal officer.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
But in discharging this function, poets are in danger of slighting another imperative, namely, to redress poetry as poetry, to set it up as its own category, an eminence established and a pressure exercised by distinctly linguistic means.—
Nick Laird,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Severe thunderstorms barreled through the Kansas City area early Monday, unleashing frequent lightning and booming thunder, dumping torrential rain and triggering a tornado warning.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Investors bought tech stocks viewed as supporting the AI infrastructure buildout and dumping those seen as threatened by its adoption.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Article’s white glove delivery includes delivery to your room of choice as well as unpacking, assembly, and debris removal.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
28 Apr. 2026
-
My outfits stay separated, my suitcase stays tidy, and unpacking takes two minutes instead of twenty.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In his first year as general manager, Gregory navigated last summer well, orchestrating the Durant trade and discarding Bradley Beal.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
And a key component of the novel and the show is the setting itself, which is a real impeachment of our mental health system, this history of confining and discarding lives that has spilled out into the streets of America.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In March alone, Ukrainian forces logged over 9,000 missions using ground robots for everything from delivering ammunition to evacuating the wounded.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Inside the dining room, Secret Service rushed to the stage, evacuating the president, first lady and other top officials.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
First there was Lil Baby and Gunna, turning his melodies into a radio rap format by ditching the idiosyncrasies.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Designed with a button-less collar, this polo shirt is polished without ditching comfort.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Boston has not won a playoff series since, finishing last in back-to-back years before returning to the postseason last season and losing to the Yankees in the wild-card round.—
Jimmy Golen,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Winning is obviously much more fun than losing, but losing is part of it.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 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 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
