overload
v. · n.-
1 to give too much work or info (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto give someone too much work, information, or responsibility to handle.
to burden a person or system with an excessive amount of work, data, or responsibility beyond their capacity.
ExampleI don't want to overload you with too many details on your first day.
ExampleThe manager was careful not to overload the junior staff with complex tasks during the final week of the project.
UsageOften used in the passive voice: 'to be overloaded with'.
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2 technical/electrical (v.) B2 Upper Intermediate Scienceto put too much weight on a vehicle or too much electricity through a wire.
to supply an excessive physical load or electrical current to a device or circuit, potentially causing failure.
ExampleIf you plug too many appliances into one socket, you might overload the circuit.
ExampleThe safety inspector warned that the crane would overload if they attempted to lift the entire steel frame at once.
- strain
- overtax
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3 programming (v.) C1 Advanced Technical Computingto use the same name for different computer functions that do different things.
to define multiple functions or operators with the same name but different signatures or implementations.
ExampleIn this language, you can overload the plus sign to join strings together.
ExampleThe developer decided to overload the constructor to allow the object to be initialized with either a string or an integer.
UsageUsually transitive, taking the name of the function or operator as the object.
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4 an excessive amount (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea situation where there is too much of something to deal with.
an amount of something that exceeds the capacity of a system or person to process or carry it.
ExampleThe website crashed because of an information overload during the sale.
ExampleThe pilot suffered from sensory overload as multiple alarms began to sound simultaneously in the cockpit.