1 B1 neutral
To fill a vehicle with passengers, luggage, or cargo ready for a journey.
"We loaded up the van the night before to get an early start."
separable
load up
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To put a large quantity of goods, supplies, or cargo into a vehicle or container.
In plain English
To put lots of things into a vehicle or container so it is ready to go.
What does "load up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To put a large amount of something into or onto a container, plate, or device.
"She loaded up her plate with as much food as it could hold."
separable
3 B1 informal
To install or open software or a program on a computer.
"Load up the presentation before the clients arrive."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
Transparent — to put a load into or onto something, with 'up' indicating completion or fullness.
Actually means
To put lots of things into a vehicle or container so it is ready to go.
Usage tip
Commonly used for filling trucks, cars, or ships with cargo. Also used figuratively for filling a plate with food or a computer with software. 'Load up on' is a related phrasal verb focusing on accumulating supplies.
Words that pair with "load up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
truck van car supplies cargo software
How to conjugate "load up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
load up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
loads up
he/she/it
Past simple
loaded up
yesterday
Past participle
loaded up
have + pp
-ing form
loading up
continuous
Hear "load up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "load up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "load up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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