burden
1 Americannoun
-
that which is carried; load.
a horse's burden of rider and pack.
-
that which is borne with difficulty; obligation; onus.
the burden of leadership.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, encumbrance, weight
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Nautical.
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the weight of a ship's cargo.
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the carrying capacity of a ship.
-
-
Mining. overburden.
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Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace.
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Accounting. overhead.
noun
-
something that is carried; load
-
something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bear
the burden of responsibility
-
nautical
-
the cargo capacity of a ship
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the weight of a ship's cargo
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verb
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(sometimes foll by up) to put or impose a burden on; load
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to weigh down; oppress
the old woman was burdened with cares
noun
-
a line of words recurring at the end of each verse of a ballad or similar song; chorus or refrain
-
the principal or recurrent theme of a speech, book, etc
-
another word for bourdon
Synonym Usage
See load.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
burdensimple
-
burdenssimple
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have burdenedperfect
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has burdenedperfect
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am burdeningprogressive
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are burdeningprogressive
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is burdeningprogressive
-
have been burdeningperfect progressive
-
has been burdeningperfect progressive
Past
-
burdenedsimple
-
had burdenedperfect
-
was burdeningprogressive
-
were burdeningprogressive
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had been burdeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of burden1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, birthen, birden, Old English byrthen; akin to German Bürde, Gothic baurthei; see also bear 1
Origin of burden2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bordoun, burdoun “drone, bass,” from Old French bourdon “droning sound, instrument making such a sound”
Explanation
Getting hired as the assistant to a pastry chef seemed like a dream come true. But one week and 100 cupcakes later, it’s become a hard-to-bear burden accompanied by a permanent stomachache. Burden is one of those words that doubles as a noun and a verb. Defined as something you carry or withstand with much difficulty when used as a noun, and as the act of weighing down, overloading, or oppressing when used as a verb, it’s a word with a negative charge. Now that you know what it means, you’re equipped to make sure you don’t take on unnecessary burdens (getting pressured into always carrying your neighbor’s groceries upstairs), or become one yourself!
Vocabulary lists containing burden
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“This complements our owned and colocated portfolio while reducing the capital burden of adding capacity for customers,” Volozh noted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Inspectorate reports published between January and March 2026 highlight staffing gaps in probation, a lack of experience, significant issues with information sharing, as well as "the burden placed on overstretched staff by large-scale change programmes".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I was aware of bearing an adult burden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
And parents feel that burden even more so today.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The last thing I wanted to be was a burden.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
“These are significant cost-shifting burdens for seniors,” Richtman told me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"History has had its conflicts, but we should not carry those burdens forever. We should enjoy life".
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
How should an American abroad balance U.S. and foreign accounts, manage currency and transfer costs, and avoid investments that create disproportionate tax or reporting burdens?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
The differences that make humans special are treated as burdens by chatbots.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Unlike Presidents Wingfield and Ratcliffe before him, Captain Smith divides the rations equally with us and works right alongside us sharing the burdens, too.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
I’m not looking for a man who feels burdened by the effort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Earlier this year Greece's tourism minister said she did not want visitors to be "burdened" by bureaucratic procedures when entering or leaving the country.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Though easing gasoline prices provided some relief, respondents continue to feel burdened by inflation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
Carrying costs are also an issue—massive properties are burdened by soaring taxes—especially in markets like Los Angeles, where the mansion tax hinders high-end sales.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
For William, burdened with secrets that involved the nation’s security, the treatment was wildly unsuitable.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
But it has raised concerns about burdening Louisiana electricity customers with the higher costs of additional energy infrastructure, especially if demand from Meta eventually dries up, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
“A life-insurance policy can be specifically purchased to provide a cash payout to the non-business child, effectively equalizing their inheritance without burdening the business or the child taking it over,” it says.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 6, 2026
The nonprofit has been going through its own planning process for months to figure out how to sell electricity to data centers without burdening other customers, and expects to release a comprehensive plan.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
No fairness in burdening people based on who they are rather than what they endured.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2025
No reason for burdening her with the truth.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
