to dump one's load
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
desahogarse
- She felt better after she could dump her load about the day's frustrations.
Examples
-
After the stressful meeting, I called my best friend just to dump my load and feel lighter.
-
Sometimes people need to dump their load before they can move on.
-
I need to dump my load before I can relax.
-
Can you just dump your load on me?
-
After a long week, I called my sister to dump my load and share my worries.
-
He always feels relieved when he can dump his load with a trusted friend.
-
Many people find it helpful to dump their load in a journal when feeling stressed.
Synonyms
44
4.2
Say angry words or complaints to someone
9
6.0
Talk about something worrying you so you feel better
6
4.9
To remove a heavy load from someone, physical or emotional, often by talking
To tell someone or write down your thoughts to feel better
Antonyms
How Expressive
- Informal
8
6.4
61
4.1
- Informal
∞
1.0
24
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'dump' (to discard) and 'load' (a burden): a learner who knows the metaphorical use of 'load' for an emotional burden can derive 'discard one's burden' = relieve or express problems. The construction follows a common, cross-linguistic metaphor (discarding/letting go of weight as relief), so it should be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner familiar with both constituents.
Etymology
Dump one's load comes from the simple image of a person emptying a heavy cart: to dump a load is to drop heavy things so the cart becomes lighter. So when someone 'dumps their load' today, they talk about or get rid of heavy feelings or worries to 'feel lighter'.