MEANING
To put more weight, work, information, or demand on something than it can handle safely or effectively.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- overload a circuit
- overload the system
On the page
The extra sensors overloaded the old processing unit.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- overload
- Past tense
- overloaded
- Past participle
- overloaded
- Present participle
- overloading
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- overload
- Present continuous
- am/is/are overloading
- Present perfect
- have/has overloaded
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been overloading
- Past
- overloaded
- Past continuous
- was/were overloading
- Past perfect
- had overloaded
- Past perfect continuous
- had been overloading
- Future
- will overload
- Future continuous
- will be overloading
- Future perfect
- will have overloaded
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been overloading
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: overload; overloads; overloaded; overloaded; overloading Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: overloads.
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