What does reload mean?
Reload means to load something again. Its most common modern use is digital: a user reloads a web page, application, game, or file when content has failed to appear or updated data is needed. The word can also describe refreshing the mind, as when someone reloads their memory after an interval, or recovering energy and composure. In a firearms context, reloading means inserting ammunition into a magazine or chamber. More broadly, it can mean restoring something to active use or making it available again. The prefix re- adds the idea of repetition to load, so reload generally implies that something has already been loaded once. In everyday speech, the expression can refer to food or drink—someone may reload their plate—while technical and figurative senses use the same basic idea of starting afresh with the same thing.
To load something again, especially digital content, software, or ammunition.
"Close the application and reload it before trying the update again."
The computing sense is widespread in British and American English; the firearms sense is also established.
An act of loading or starting something again.
"A quick reload restored the game to normal."
This noun is less common than the verb and is especially used in computing and gaming contexts.
The plural is used for separate instances of loading again, as in “the site underwent several reloads.”
"Several reloads failed to resolve the display error."
Before the cloud, there was the humble reload button—and one click could change everything.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reload come from?
Reload was formed in English by combining the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with load. The general sense “load again” developed before the word became established in computing. Related English formations include download, upload, payload, and workload, all built on load as their common base.
Related word forms
How reload is actually used
The word is especially common in computing, where it refers to loading a program or page again. In other contexts, it may suggest repetition or a fresh start.
Easily confused with reload
Reloading means loading something again, whereas unloading means removing or taking off a load.