n.
- a heavy or bulky thing that is being carried or is about to be carried.
▸
[
in combination]
the total number or amount that can be carried in a vehicle or container:
a carload of people.
- a weight or source of pressure.
▸the amount of work to be done by a person or machine.
▸a burden of responsibility, worry, or grief.
-
(a load of)
informal a lot of.
▸
(a load/loads)
plenty.
- the amount of power supplied by a source.
▸the resistance of moving parts to be overcome by a motor.
▸Electronics an impedance or circuit that receives or develops the output of a transistor or other device.
v.
- put a load on or in (a vehicle, ship, etc.).
▸(of a ship or vehicle) take on a load.
- make (someone or something) carry or hold a large amount of heavy things.
▸
(load someone/thing with)
supply with (something) in overwhelming abundance or to excess.
- insert (something) into a device so that it will operate.
▸charge (a firearm) with ammunition.
- bias towards a particular outcome.
Phrase
- get a load of
informal used to draw attention to someone or something. - get
(or have)
a load on
US informal become drunk. - load the bases
Baseball have base runners on all three bases. - load the dice against
(or in favour of)
put at a disadvantage (or advantage).
Etymology
OE lād ‘journey, conveyance’, of Gmc origin: rel. to lead1; cf. lode.