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Glite Dictionary
to drop a load of laundry

to drop a load of laundry

2.8
To wash some clothes at one time
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : hacer la colada
  • Every Saturday morning, I drop a load of laundry before breakfast.

Examples

  • She forgot to drop a load of laundry and now has nothing clean to wear.

  • Can you drop a load of laundry for me?

  • After the gym, I needed to drop a load of laundry because my workout clothes were soaked.

  • I will drop a load of laundry before dinner.

  • Every Saturday morning, I drop a load of laundry before breakfast.

  • After the gym, I needed to drop a load of laundry because my workout clothes were soaked.

  • I will drop a load of laundry before dinner.

Synonyms

to launder
vsto drop a load of laundry
10 3.0

To wash clothes and sheets with water and soap

focuses on washing a specific load rather than general cleaning
to handwash
vsto drop a load of laundry
1 3.0

To wash clothes by hand instead of using a machine

means washing a batch but without implying manual method
to machine-wash
vsto drop a load of laundry
2.1

Wash clothes in a washing machine rather than by hand

describes washing a batch without naming the cleaning method

Surface Forms

drop a load of laundry infinitive
dropped a load of laundry past
dropped a load of laundry past participle
dropping a load of laundry present participle
drops a load of laundry third person singular

Morphology

drop + a + load + of + laundry

While 'a load of laundry' is transparent, the verb 'drop' does not naturally mean 'wash' — it more commonly means 'leave' or 'deliver' (e.g., 'drop off'). A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer ‘take/leave laundry somewhere’ rather than ‘wash it’; the intended meaning relies on idiomatic/paraphrastic usage (compare 'do a load of laundry'), so the expression is partially but not fully predictable.

Etymology

Drop a load of laundry likely comes from the simple picture of carrying a heavy bundle and then dropping a load of dirty clothes into a washing machine or at a laundry shop. So, saying drop a load of laundry means 'to wash a batch of clothes'.