1. the labor of putting a load of something on or in a vehicle or ship or container etc.

e.g. the loading took 2 hours

2. goods carried by a large vehicle

Synonym: cargoladingfreightloadpayloadshipmentconsignment

3. weight to be borne or conveyed

Synonym: loadburden

4. a quantity that can be processed or transported at one time

e.g. the system broke down under excessive loads

Synonym: load

5. the ratio of the gross weight of an airplane to some factor determining its lift