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!

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 The world’s first self-unloading electric bulk carrier, powered by a massive 6,758-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery system, has officially entered commercial service in the land Down Under. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026 Welcomed by Herky the Hornet, the cheer team and the campus community, the students and their families checked in before unloading their belongings and setting up their new rooms. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported, and confirmed by Deadline, that the AG’s asks included keeping the studios separate as well as unloading some cable networks. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 At 14, Ribar's great-grandpa was unloading train cars at the Minnesota fair, eventually climbing the ranks to become superintendent of the grounds. — Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 21 Aug. 2026 The stevedores of the ship (who were responsible for loading and unloading ships at the port) were also on a break. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026 The girl and the driver got out and started unloading her things. — Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026 Parents groused that loading and unloading kids in the R1S could be a headache, especially with a child’s seat in the second row. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2026 The timing shook out nicely, considering Berg would go on to be tapped to succeed Don Garber as MLS’ next commissioner and has subsequently been tasked with unloading his sizable ownership stake in LAFC. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unloading

Verb

The War Horse reported on VA-medical-center policies that recommended discharging most patients from therapy after just eight sessions (far too few, according to many providers), an approach that the VA has denied adopting.

— Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
The lawsuit states that the accused was arrested in May 2021 for injuring a man and damaging multiple vehicles after discharging a firearm more than 20 times at a Kissimmee gas station and then fleeing the scene.

— Evonne Andris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of discharging

Verb

Hawaii cleans up after Hurricane Lala Communities struggled to recover after Tropical Storm Lala sideswiped Hawaii as a Category 1 hurricane, sparing the islands a direct hit but dumping more than 3½ feet of rain that caused catastrophic flooding.

— Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of dumping

Verb

Toyota's luxury division is taking its efficiency up a notch for the 2027 model year by completely discarding its gas powertrain.

— Charles Singh, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
How Your Kidneys Process Multivitamins The kidneys continuously filter the blood, reabsorbing the nutrients and discarding waste.

— Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of discarding

Verb

In addition, many Israelis have taken pride in their country’s assistance to ill or wounded Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas by evacuating them for treatment outside Gaza.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
Officials say people evacuating should be prepared to stay away from home for several days, as unpredictable winds have complicated the fight to contain the blaze.

— Maria Godoy, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of evacuating

Verb

In footage shared by fans on social media, the singer debuted a bold new hair look, ditching her signature voluminous red curls in favor of a short, sharp blunt bob with a bold set of microbangs.

— Meg Walters, InStyle, 30 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, Sky had a plan for Bake Off that would involve ditching spin-off series, including the professionals and kids’ versions.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of ditching

Verb

The transaction contained fundamental flaws, and AT&T eventually reversed course by off-loading WarnerMedia and combining it with Discovery.

— Paul Hardart, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of off-loading

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unloaded

unloading

unloads

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“Unloading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unloading. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unloading

verb

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