offload

offload — verb

1. to pass an unwanted task, possession, or responsibility to another person or gro

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to pass an unwanted task, possession, or responsibility to another person or group so that you no longer have to deal with it.

例句

Otis offloaded his share of the project onto a colleague just before the deadline.

offload + onto + person

The company plans to offload its least profitable stores to a competitor next year.

同義詞
  • unload

    neutral physical unloading; lacks the 'shifting a burden' implication

  • dump

    more informal and careless; suggests getting rid of something quickly without concern for the recipient

  • transfer

    more neutral and formal; does not imply the item is unwanted

  • shift

    common in business contexts for moving costs or blame to another party

反義詞
  • keep

    retain possession of something rather than passing it on

  • shoulder

    to accept or bear a responsibility instead of passing it to someone else

文法句型

offload + noun + onto/to + noun (person/entity)

用法筆記

Object is typically something burdensome — a task, debt, product, or responsibility. The recipient (marked by onto or to) receives something the giver is glad to be rid of.

常見錯誤

❌I offloaded the shopping bags from the car.
✅I unloaded the shopping bags from the car.
💡For routine physical unloading without burden-shifting, use 'unload'. 'Offload' implies the items are unwanted or a burden.
❌She offloaded her keys on the kitchen counter.
✅She put her keys on the kitchen counter.
💡'Offload' is not a neutral synonym for 'put down' or 'place'; it only works when something is being got rid of.

2. to take goods or cargo out of a vehicle, ship, or other container, especially at

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to take goods or cargo out of a vehicle, ship, or other container, especially at the end of a journey.

例句

The dock workers offloaded the cargo as soon as the ship reached the port.

offload + cargo from + vessel

It took the delivery crew two hours to offload all the supplies from the truck.

同義詞
  • unload

    more common in everyday speech for physical cargo removal

  • discharge

    formal term used in shipping and logistics for removing cargo from a vessel

  • empty

    focuses on the result — making the container empty rather than the process

反義詞
  • load

    to put goods onto a vehicle or container

  • load up

    informal phrasal verb meaning to fill a vehicle with goods

文法句型

offload + noun (cargo/goods) + from + noun (vehicle)

offload + noun (vehicle/ship/truck)

用法筆記

Frequently passive in logistics reporting ('the cargo was offloaded'). Focuses on the physical process of unloading, not on shifting an unwanted burden. The vehicle itself can be the object ('offload a truck').

常見錯誤

❌The committee offloaded the blame onto the manager.' (when meaning physical unloading).
✅The committee shifted the blame onto the manager.
💡'Offload' in sense 2 is only about physical cargo, not responsibility or fault. The burden-shifting meaning is sense 1.