Offload

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɒf.ləʊd/

Definitions

1. To shift a load or responsibility to another person or entity while clearing space or relieving oneself of a duty
2. To take something unwanted or unwieldy and assign it to someone else, effectively reducing one's own burden
3. To remove goods or cargo from a transport vehicle ; to delegate duties or responsibilities to another person or group

Etymology: "Offload" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it joins the prefix "off-" to "load." The "off-" element, from Old English "of" and its related sense of separation or departure, gives the verb its sense of moving something away from a vehicle or vessel. "Load," in turn, descends from a Middle English and Old English root meaning a burden or a conveyance, which is why the word has long been used for carried cargo. The combination is a plain one. Speakers already had "load" for putting cargo on a ship or cart, and "off" for taking something away, so joining the two gave a direct verb for unloading. Its use stays concrete, most often for ships, trucks and ordinary household tasks, and the figurative extension, offloading a worry or a responsibility onto someone else, follows naturally from the physical sense.

Synonyms: unload, discharge, transfer, deliver, divest

Antonyms: load, burden, charge, encumber, pack