1
as in unpacks
to empty or rid of cargo
the dockworkers unloaded the ship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discards
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 unloads
An oil tanker unloads crude oil at a terminal at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province on March 11, 2026.
—
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
After his dreams are all but dashed, Shah unloads on himself.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
The ambulance then unloads her on the tarmac next to a private plane.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … HEALTH HORROR – Medical watchdog unloads on VCU after nurse fired for viral anti-ICE TikTok video.
—FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
And with that, Kyle kills him, then unloads three more bullets into the body.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025
Agnes unloads the weight of the world on the baby by explaining that some bad life experiences are going to happen, but at least the baby has a good support system.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
After his dreams are all but dashed, Shah unloads on himself.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
The ambulance then unloads her on the tarmac next to a private plane.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … HEALTH HORROR – Medical watchdog unloads on VCU after nurse fired for viral anti-ICE TikTok video.
—FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
And with that, Kyle kills him, then unloads three more bullets into the body.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025
Agnes unloads the weight of the world on the baby by explaining that some bad life experiences are going to happen, but at least the baby has a good support system.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloads
Verb
-
Otterson unpacks what’s next for the beloved space opera in TV and film.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
One person unpacks the food in the kitchen while the others put away the rest.—
Brittany Huston,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Try the Storm Chaser, which sends you into a zero-gravity fall, catches you in a funnel, then discards you into a pool below.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Feb. 2026
-
At the same time, Gans discards the psychological and spatial logic that gave meaning to the original telling’s dream-like sense of disorientation.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There is this tendency to frame eating disorders as a purely biological phenomenon in a way that kind of evacuates them of all meaning, or actually repels the attempt to create meaning.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
-
On the morning of January 29, 2024, her family evacuates their homes in Tel al-Hawa in Gaza City.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
If a company dumps toxic waste into a local river and your children get sick and die, there is no value lost, there are no damages, no liability—the ultimate rationale for Milton Friedman’s externalization of costs.—
Andrew Behar,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
As a demo, one of the artisans dumps a sack of more than 200 bones (a gray fox, incidentally) into a random jumble on a workbench.—
Jeff Wilson,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Oakland police also asserted an exemption to a California law that requires the release within 45 days of body-cam footage in critical incidents when a peace officer discharges a firearm at a person, or when use of force results in death or great bodily injury.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Dec. 2025
-
After localizing, the UAV discharges an ampoule filled with a fire extinguishant from an onboard launcher and puts out the fire.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Oct. 2021
Verb
-
OpenAI ditches video generation app Sora, and loses $1 billion from Disney.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Just ditches her completely because of peer pressure from his rich friends.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Every weekday before dawn, Deltona empties itself onto I-4.—
Christopher Bellingham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The bustling evening market, where locals gather for tacos, now empties out early.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
-
When that function collapses and every joke is screened for loyalty, society loses one of its best safeguards against tribal conformity.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unloads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloads. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
