Definition of off-loadnext
as in to unload
to empty or rid of cargo the warehouse needs to hire more people to load and off-load the trucks

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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 off-load 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 The plant would use the rail yard to load and off-load raw materials, according to city zoning documents. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026 But perhaps automating the preliminary stages of the dating process—whether using agents or other AI tools—is not so different to off-loading other time-consuming tasks. Joel Khalili, Wired News, 13 Apr. 2026 PEOs provide a structured pathway to off-load time-consuming administrative work. Beth Foulk, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026 Portfolio Arbitrage Accelerated After a quiet first-half 2025, M&A activity in beauty ramped up, as companies look to either off-load underperforming businesses or add brands for inorganic portfolio expansion. Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 24 Feb. 2026 The lawsuit accuses the park of negligence, including failing to ensure that the ride was operating properly and failing to train ride attendants on how to off-load guests when the ride doesn’t fully enter its off-loading platform. Eve Chen, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026 The report describes a kind of doom loop of AI dependence, where students increasingly off-load their own thinking onto the technology, leading to the kind of cognitive decline or atrophy more commonly associated with aging brains. Cory Turner, NPR, 14 Jan. 2026 Under those guidelines, farmers who want to retire or off-load unproductive bogs without selling to developers can instead convert their land to wetlands with the help of the state. Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off-load
unload
Verb
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Off-load.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off-load. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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