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overload

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To load too.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ohverlohd

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈoʊvɚloʊd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To load excessively.

  2. intransitive

    To fail due to excessive load.

  3. Place too much a load on

  4. transitive

    To provide too much power to a circuit.

noun

  1. An excessive burden

  2. An electrical load that exceeds the available electrical power

  3. An excessive load.

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

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

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More ways to use overload

  • “The aerator overloaded.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

information overloadiron overloadvolume overloadfluid overloadoverload protectionrole overloadpressure overloadoverload capacity

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • iron overloadnounCompound term

    Pathology in which iron accumulates in the tissues.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: excessive burden

surchargeoverchargeRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.