Standard Lemma guide

overload

noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈəʊvəˌləʊd/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈoʊvɚˌloʊd/
  • Australian: /ˈəʉvəˌləʉd/
  • Australian: /ˌɐʉvəˈlɐʉd/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈɐʉvəˌlɐʉd/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌəʊvəˈləʊd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌoʊvɚˈloʊd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˌəʉvəˈləʉd/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌɐʉvəˈlɐʉd/
  • CMU ARPABET: OW1 V ER0 L OW2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An excessive load.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The damage done, or the outage caused, by such a load.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An load of goods above the prescribed carrying weight of the vehicle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: automotive, transport, vehicles

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An overloaded version of a function.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To load excessively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To provide too much power to a circuit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To create different functions for the same name, to be used in different contexts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Qualifier: object-oriented programming

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To fail due to excessive load.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

an excessive burden

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overburden

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: load, loading, burden

10

noun

Meaning 10

an electrical load that exceeds the available electrical power

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: load, loading, burden

11

verb

Meaning 11

fill to excess so that function is impaired

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Fear clogged her mind
  • The story was clogged with too many details

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: clog

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fill, fill up, make full

12

verb

Meaning 12

place too much a load on

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • don't overload the car

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: surcharge, overcharge

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: load, lade, laden, load up

13

verb

Meaning 13

become overloaded

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The aerator overloaded

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English load English overload From over- + load.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: претоварване (pretovarvane) — excessive load
  • Czech: přetížení — excessive load
  • Danish: overbelastning — excessive load
  • Finnish: ylikuorma — excessive load
  • Finnish: ylikuormitus — excessive load
  • French: surcharge — excessive load
  • Georgian: გადატვირთვა (gadaṭvirtva) — excessive load
  • German: Überladung — excessive load
  • German: Überlastung — excessive load
  • Greek: υπερφόρτωση (yperfórtosi) — excessive load
  • Greenlandic: artukkiineq — excessive load
  • Hungarian: túlterhelés — excessive load
  • Hungarian: túlterheltség — excessive load
  • Indonesian: beban lebih — excessive load
  • Japanese: 過負荷 (kafuka) — excessive load
  • Japanese: 過積載 (kasekisai) — excessive load
  • Romanian: suprasarcină — excessive load
  • Romanian: supraîncărcare — excessive load
  • Romanian: sarcină excesivă — excessive load
  • Russian: перегру́зка (peregrúzka) — excessive load
  • Spanish: sobrecarga — excessive load
  • Swedish: överlast — excessive load
  • Swedish: överbelastning — excessive load
  • Swedish: överdos — excessive load
  • Swedish: överflöd — excessive load
  • Tagalog: tambanggalan — excessive load
  • Turkish: fazla doldurma — excessive load
  • Turkish: fazla yükleme — excessive load
  • Ukrainian: переванта́ження (perevantážennja) — excessive load
  • German: Überladung — overloaded version of a function
  • Swedish: överlagring — overloaded version of a function
  • Turkish: aşırı yükleme — overloaded version of a function
  • Bulgarian: претоварвам (pretovarvam) — to load excessively
  • Catalan: recarregar — to load excessively
  • Catalan: enfarfegar — to load excessively
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超載 /超载 (chāozài) — to load excessively
  • Czech: přetížit — to load excessively
  • Danish: overbelaste — to load excessively
  • Dutch: overladen — to load excessively
  • Finnish: ylikuormittaa — to load excessively
  • Finnish: ylikuormata — to load excessively
  • French: surcharger — to load excessively
  • German: überladen — to load excessively
  • German: überlasten — to load excessively
  • Hungarian: túlterhel — to load excessively
  • Ido: supercharjar — to load excessively
  • Irish: anluchtaigh — to load excessively
  • Italian: sovraccaricare — to load excessively
  • Luxembourgish: iwwerlueden — to load excessively
  • Portuguese: sobrecarregar — to load excessively
  • Romanian: supraîncărca — to load excessively
  • Romanian: supraînsărcina — to load excessively
  • Russian: перегружа́ть (peregružátʹ) — to load excessively
  • Russian: перегрузи́ть (peregruzítʹ) — to load excessively
  • Spanish: sobrecargar — to load excessively
  • Swedish: överbelasta — to load excessively
  • Turkish: fazla doldurmak — to load excessively
  • Ukrainian: переванта́жувати (perevantážuvaty) — to load excessively
  • Ukrainian: переванта́жити (perevantážyty) — to load excessively
  • Vietnamese: quá tải — to load excessively
  • Bulgarian: претоварвам (pretovarvam) — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • Finnish: ylikuormittaa — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • German: überlasten — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • German: überladen — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • Italian: sovraccaricare — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • Romanian: supraîncărca — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • Romanian: supraînsărcina — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • Turkish: fazla yüklemek — to provide too much power to a circuit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 重载 (chóngzài) — to create different functions for the same name
  • Czech: přetížit — to create different functions for the same name
  • Finnish: kuormittaa — to create different functions for the same name
  • French: surcharger — to create different functions for the same name
  • German: überladen — to create different functions for the same name
  • Polish: przeładować — to create different functions for the same name
  • Swedish: överlagra — to create different functions for the same name
  • Turkish: aşırı yüklemek — to create different functions for the same name
  • Vietnamese: tải bội — to create different functions for the same name
  • Vietnamese: chồng hàm — to create different functions for the same name
  • Vietnamese: nạp chồng hàm — to create different functions for the same name
  • Finnish: ylikuormittua — to fail due to excessive load
  • German: überlastet sein — to fail due to excessive load