Definition of “load” - English Dictionary

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“load” in English

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loadnoun

uk ​ /ləʊd/ us ​ /loʊd/

load noun (AMOUNT CARRIED)

B2 [ C ] the amount of weight carried, especially by a vehicle, a structure such as a bridge, or an animal:

The maximum load for this elevator is eight persons.
One truck involved in the accident was carrying a heavy load of coal.
a load also loads informal

B1 a lot:

I've got a load of work to get through before tomorrow.
There were a load of people there.
Have some more food - there's loads.
She looks loads better with her new haircut.

› [ C ] specialized physics the amount of electrical power that is supplied

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Idiom(s)

get a load of that!
a load of crap, nonsense, rubbish, etc.

loadverb

uk ​ /ləʊd/ us ​ /loʊd/

load verb (CARRY)

B2 [ I or T ] to put a lot of things into a vehicle or machine:

How long will it take to load this sand onto the lorry?
Let's load up the car and then we can go.
to load the dishwasher/washing machine
See also
overload
Opposite
unload
be loaded down with sth

› to have too much to carry, or too much work to do:

I was loaded down with shopping.
be loaded with sth

› to contain a lot of something:

Most fast foods are loaded with fat.

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load verb (COMPUTER)

B2 [ I or T ] to put information or a program onto a computer:

You need to load this program onto your computer.
The software is easy to load.

› [ I or T ] If a web page or an application loads or is loaded, it appears on a screen:

My browser wouldn't load the page.
Some of the apps on my smart TV are quite slow to load.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Phrasal verb(s)

load up on sth

-loadsuffix

uk ​ / -ləʊd/ us ​ / -loʊd/

(Definition of “load” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“load” in American English

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loadnoun [ C ]

us ​ /loʊd/

load noun [ C ] (WEIGHT CARRIED)

› the amount or weight of something carried by a vehicle, a structure such as a bridge, or a person or animal:

The truck had a load of bricks.
The maximum load for this elevator is eight persons.

› physics Load is also the weight being moved by a lever.

load noun [ C ] (AMOUNT OF WORK)

› the amount of work to be done by a person:

The normal teaching load at this university is three courses each semester.

Idiom(s)

loaded down with things
loads of something

loadverb [ T ]

us ​ /loʊd/

load verb [ T ] (PUT INTO)

› to put into a piece of equipment something it uses to make it work:

Bill loaded and aimed his crossbow.
The technician loaded a sample into the device.
You need to load the new software before you can use the computer.

load verb [ T ] (WEIGHT CARRIED)

› to put something in or on a vehicle:

He could load more hay into the wagon.

Phrasal verb(s)

load up something
load up on something

(Definition of “load” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“-load” in Business English

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-loadsuffix

› used with other nouns to refer to a vehicle, large container, etc. that is completely full:

truckload/planeload/busload Planeloads of aid sent to the disaster region remain undistributed.
The auditors have requested boxloads of documents.

loadnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ləʊd/ us ​

› TRANSPORT an amount of goods or people transported by road, railway, or air:

The total maximum load is four hundred kilograms.
heavy/large/full load Heavy passenger loads put stress on the nation's aviation system.
carry/deliver/transport a load
a load of sth The tanker was commissioned to pick up a load of hazardous materials.

› WORKPLACE the amount of work to be done by a person, an organization, or a machine:

lighten/reduce a load Workers have asked whether the bank intends to lighten their load by hiring more staff.
share/spread the load British manufacturing is looking to other sectors to help share the load of investing in infrastructure.
heavy/light/increased load

› FINANCE a charge that you pay when you buy or sell shares in an investment company

› ECONOMICS, FINANCE an amount of money, usually a large amount, that a person, company, or country has to pay:

debt/tax load A ruling by the European Union lightened the tax load on investors buying gold.

See also

back-end load
caseload
deadweight
front-end load
Full Container Load
less-than-container load
load factor
payload
sales load
workload

loadverb

uk ​ /ləʊd/ us ​

› [ I or T ] TRANSPORT to put goods onto a vehicle to transport them:

A surge in trade has seen up to 90 vessels a week at the port waiting to load their cargoes.
Trucks were loading and unloading at the warehouse.
load sth with sth The tanker was loaded with four million gallons of diesel oil.
Compare
unload

› [ I or T ] IT to put a program or data onto a computer or website:

load software/a file/a program The software is very easy to load.
The updates don't take long to load.

› [ T ] FINANCE to include charges in an investment, loan, etc.:

load sth with sth The card is designed to attract customers with poor credit and comes loaded with lots of fees and a very low credit limit.

Phrasal verb(s)

load (sth) up with sth
load up on sth

(Definition of “-load” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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