A question heavy with meaning or emotional impact, as in When he inquired after Helen's ex-husband, that was a loaded question. This term employs loaded in the sense of "charged with hidden implication." [Mid-1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.