Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To unload (cargo) from a ship.
  • intransitive verb To unload (a ship).
  • intransitive verb To discharge a cargo.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To unload; take out the cargo of.
  • To unburden; remove, as a load or burden; discharge.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To take the load from; to take out the cargo of.
  • transitive verb To unload; to remove, or to have removed, as a load or a burden; to discharge.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To unload.
  • verb transitive To disburden; take the burden from; relieve.
  • verb transitive To discharge the cargo from.
  • verb intransitive To discharge a cargo; discharge a burden.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb take the load off (a container or vehicle)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From un- + lade

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Examples

  • And when they unlade any Ship of great fraught, there are prepared

    The Decameron 2004

  • Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

    Acts 21. 1999

  • It is of sincere faith, to unlade our unbelief in the bosom of our God.

    The Sermons of John Owen 1616-1683 1968

  • And when we had discovered Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed into Syria, and came to Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

    The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete The Challoner Revision Anonymous

  • And when we had discovered Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed into Syria, and came to Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

    The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Book 51: Acts The Challoner Revision

  • And when we had discovered Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed into Syria, and came to Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

    The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete Anonymous

  • She ran, however, upon the bar, and the people were forced to unlade her to get off.

    Woman on the American Frontier William Worthington Fowler

  • It being of great consequence to the plantation, that Port-Towns should be built and preserved; therefore, whosoever shall lade or unlade any commodity at any other place but a Port-Town, shall forfeit to the

    An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, Volume 1 Alexander Hewatt

  • At our coming to the Governor's House we found the great door where the mules do usually unlade, even then opened, a candle lighted upon the top of the stairs; and a fair gennet ready saddled, either for the Governor himself, or some other of his household to carry it after him.

    Sir Francis Drake Revived Philip [Editor] Nichols

  • The inconveniences in Spain and Portugal were still greater, for they would by no means suffer our ships, especially those from London, to come into any of their ports, much less to unlade.

    A Journal Of The Plague Year Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731 1935

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