loaded

1. 1
   adjective

   Holding a live round of ammunition in the firing chamber, ready to be fired.

   The officer realized the pistol was loaded only after picking it up.

   A loaded shotgun leaned against the wall of the duck blind.

   Similararmed, primed

   Oppositeunloaded, empty

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of load.

   The crew loaded cargo onto the ship before dawn.

   He had loaded the new software onto every computer in the office.

   Note

   The plain verb form behind every adjective on this page: load plus -ed. It serves as both past tense (they loaded the truck) and participle (it has been loaded, it was loaded at dawn). The participle follows the verb into all its uses, from cargo and storage to firearms. Once it takes more or most, as in more loaded or most loaded, it has crossed over into an adjective.

3. 3
   adjective

   Weighed down by a heavy load; packed full.

   The mule, loaded with mining equipment, struggled up the steep trail.

   Movers carried in a loaded crate that took four people to lift.

   Similarpacked, stuffed, crammed, laden

   Oppositeempty, unloaded, unladen

   Note

   Usually followed by with, and older writing stretches it well past cargo. The Gentleman's Magazine of 1737 calls the French and Dutch more loaded with taxes. The Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal (1812) describes a tongue loaded with a thick brown crust. Richter's 1888 translation of Leonardo's notebooks uses it for an arch bearing weight. Laden, crammed and stuffed sit close by, and all take the same with.

4. 4
   adjectivecolloquial

   Possessing great wealth; very well off.

   After the company went public, the founders were suddenly loaded.

   He acted loaded, but his credit card bounced at the restaurant.

   Similarrich, wealthy, moneyed, well-heeled, well-to-do

   Oppositebroke, poor, penniless, skint

   Note

   Money talk that usually comes after the verb. Jarvis Cocker uses it in Pulp's "Common People" (1995) for a woman whose father has money, and someone who sold a business is "just loaded." Words like just and suddenly suit it. Because the slang "drunk" meaning takes the same position, he's loaded can be ambiguous on its own. A mention of money or drink nearby usually settles which one is meant.

5. 5
   adjective

   Framed to produce a predictable answer, or to set a trap for the person responding.

   The reporter slipped a loaded question into an otherwise friendly interview.

   Defense attorneys objected that the prosecutor's wording was deeply loaded.

   Similarleading

   Oppositeneutral, fair, impartial

   Note

   Its home is the phrase loaded question. Sid Lowe's "Chaos at Mestalla" (2017) calls the question of why Peter Lim bought Valencia a loaded one. The trap lies in how the question is framed. That separates it from the "emotionally charged" meaning, where the charge sits in particular words. Leading is the close synonym, for a question that steers the answer rather than springing a trap.

6. 6
   adjective

   Carrying strong connotations that color the literal meaning and tend to stir an emotional response.

   Politicians choose loaded language to fire up their supporters.

   The editor flagged several loaded phrases that gave the article a slant.

   Similarcharged, freighted, pregnant

   Oppositeneutral, objective, dispassionate

   Note

   Language is what carries this charge: a loaded word, a loaded phrase, loaded language. Ignorant shows how it works. Its literal sense is lack of knowledge, but it suggests lack of intelligence. Some people also call a word loaded simply because it has many meanings. That looser use is easy to misread, so if you mean several senses, say so plainly. Charged and freighted are close synonyms.

7. 7
   adjectiveslang

   Intoxicated from drinking too much alcohol.

   They stumbled out of the bar completely loaded after last call.

   Don't let him drive home loaded again tonight.

   Similarblasted, bombed, besotted, boozy, blitzed

   Oppositesober

   Note

   Here the load is drink, and the word belongs to talk rather than writing. Zadie Smith puts it in a character's mouth in Swing Time (2016): "Well, I'm loaded right now." It grades easily, as in really loaded or completely loaded. Keep it out of formal or clinical description. Watch for the clash with the "wealthy" meaning, which sits in the same slot after the verb.

8. 8
   adjective

   Equipped with numerous optional features, especially in the case of a car.

   The dealer pushed the loaded trim with navigation and a premium sound system.

   Even the base laptop felt loaded compared with last year's stripped-down version.

   Similardeluxe

   Oppositebasic, stripped-down, bare-bones, stripped

   Note

   Car-sales English, where the contrast is with the base model. A loaded car comes with the extras, and fully loaded means it has all of them. The word extends to other goods sold with options, such as a laptop measured against last year's stripped-down version. Deluxe is the nearest synonym. Deluxe stresses quality, while loaded stresses how many features are included.

9. 9
   adjectivefiguratively

   Of a die or dice, weighted unevenly and so biased toward producing certain throws.

   A loaded die kept landing on six no matter who rolled it.

   The casino's security flagged the loaded dice within minutes.

   Similarweighted, rigged, fixed

   Oppositefair, unbiased

   Note

   A gambler's word that has outgrown the gaming table. In E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros (1922) the dice are literally loaded. In Joe Slovo's The Unfinished Autobiography (1997), "the dice could not have been more loaded against my client," and nobody is throwing anything. The figurative use usually takes against: a contest is loaded against whoever is meant to lose. Rigged and fixed are its near synonyms.

10. 10
    adjective

    In baseball, describing a situation in which a runner occupies each of the three bases.

    The pitcher walked in a run with the bases loaded and nobody out.

    A loaded diamond in the late innings put real pressure on the reliever.

    Similarfull, jammed, packed

    Oppositeempty

    Note

    In baseball the thing loaded is the bases. The subject is plural and fixed, as in the bases are loaded, or the phrase follows with: with the bases loaded and two outs. With every base occupied, each runner is forced to advance on a walk. That is why a pitcher can walk in a run in this situation. It is the moment of greatest pressure on the defense.

11. 11
    adjectivecolloquial

    Covered with a topping or toppings, especially with every topping offered for the dish.

    She split a plate of loaded fries smothered in chili and cheese.

    The food truck's loaded hot dog comes buried under onions, relish, and slaw.

    Similarstacked, dressed

    Oppositeplain

    Note

    Menu language, and it goes before the dish: loaded fries, loaded potato wedges, a loaded hot dog. It promises abundance, meaning every topping on offer rather than one particular garnish. In that way it works much like the fully equipped car sense, which promises every option. It is colloquial, at home on a casual menu or a food truck board.

12. 12
    adjective

    Weighted with lead or a similar heavy material.

    He swung a loaded walking stick that struck far harder than its size suggested.

    The surveyor lowered a loaded plumb line to find true vertical.

    Similarweighted, leaded

    Note

    Lead added for force rather than cheating: a loaded cane or whip strikes harder than its size suggests. The weight is the same kind that goes into loaded dice, but the purpose differs. Dice are weighted to bias how they fall, while a cane or whip is weighted to hit harder. A plumb line weighted at its tip belongs here too.

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