- [countable] something that is being carried (usually in large amounts) by a person, vehicle, etc.
- The trucks waited at the warehouse to pick up their loads.
- load of something The women came down the hill with their loads of firewood.
- These backpacks are designed to carry a heavy load.
- A lorry shed its load (= accidentally dropped its load) on the motorway.
- (figurative) The company's debt load could drag it into bankruptcy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- light
- full
- …
- bear
- carry
- shoulder
- …
- under its, etc. load
- [countable] (often in compounds) the total amount of something that something can carry or contain
- a busload of tourists
- They ordered three truckloads of sand.
- He put half a load of washing in the machine.
- The plane took off with a full load.
- Maximum load, including passengers, is 800 pounds.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- light
- full
- …
- bear
- carry
- shoulder
- …
- under its, etc. load
- [countable, usually singular] the amount of weight that is pressing down on something
- a load-bearing wall
- Modern backpacks spread the load over a wider area.
- The table creaked under its heavy load.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- light
- full
- …
- bear
- carry
- shoulder
- …
- under its, etc. load
- [singular] (also loads [plural])(informal) a large number or amount of people or things; plenty
- a load/loads of somebody/something She's got loads of friends.
- He wrote loads and loads of letters to people.
- Uncle Jim brought a whole load of presents for the kids.
- We saw a load of houses before we bought this one.
- They all had loads of fun at the park.
- In my job I get the chance to meet loads of different people.
- a load/loads to do There's loads to do today.
- [singular] load of rubbish, garbage, nonsense, etc. (especially British English, informal) used to emphasize that something is wrong, stupid, bad, etc.
- You're talking a load of rubbish.
- [countable] an amount of work that a person or machine has to do
- Teaching loads have increased in all types of school.
- Extra warmth from sunlight can put an additional load on the air-conditioning system.
- We're trying to spread the load by employing more staff.
- [countable, usually singular] a feeling of responsibility or worry that is difficult to deal with synonym burden
- She thought she would not be able to bear the load of bringing up her family alone.
- Knowing that they had arrived safely took a load off my mind.
- [countable] the amount of electrical power that is being supplied at a particular time
something carried
weight
large amount
rubbish/nonsense
work
responsibility/worry
electrical power
Word OriginOld English lād ‘way, journey, conveyance’, of Germanic origin: related to German Leite, also to lead; compare with lode. The verb dates from the late 15th cent.
Idioms
See load in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee load in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishget a load of somebody/something
- (informal) used to tell somebody to look at or listen to somebody/something
- Get a load of that dress!
Check pronunciation:
load