burden

1
[ bur-dn ]
See synonyms for burden on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. that which is carried; load: a horse's burden of rider and pack.

  2. that which is borne with difficulty; obligation; onus: the burden of leadership.

  1. Nautical.

    • the weight of a ship's cargo.

    • the carrying capacity of a ship.

  2. Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace.

  3. Accounting. overhead (def. 6).

verb (used with object)
  1. to load heavily.

  2. to load oppressively; trouble.

Origin of burden

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, birthen, birden, Old English byrthen; akin to German Bürde, Gothic baurthei; see also bear1

synonym study For burden

1. See load.

Other words for burden

Other words from burden

  • bur·den·er, noun
  • bur·den·less, adjective

Words Nearby burden

Other definitions for burden (2 of 2)

burden2
[ bur-dn ]

noun
  1. the main point, message, or idea.

  2. Music. the refrain or recurring chorus of a song.

Origin of burden

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bordoun, burdoun “drone, bass,” from Old French bourdon “droning sound, instrument making such a sound”

Other words for burden

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use burden in a sentence

  • The rich Chinese were robbed and the labouring class were pressed into service fit for beasts of burden.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • She could not be anything but a burden and a torment; her last years would probably be dreadful, both for herself and for others.

    Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
  • Under ordinary circumstances these men can travel with their burden from twenty to thirty miles a day.

    Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
  • Hence, in their professed attempt to aid the memory, they really impose a new and additional burden upon it.

    Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
  • The financial burden of the war, as the full measure of it dawned upon our minds, seemed to betoken a universal bankruptcy.

British Dictionary definitions for burden (1 of 2)

burden1

/ (ˈbɜːdən) /


noun
  1. something that is carried; load

  2. something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bear: the burden of responsibility Related adjective: onerous

  1. nautical

    • the cargo capacity of a ship

    • the weight of a ship's cargo

verb(tr)
  1. (sometimes foll by up) to put or impose a burden on; load

  2. to weigh down; oppress: the old woman was burdened with cares

Origin of burden

1
Old English byrthen; related to beran to bear 1, Old Frisian berthene burden, Old High German burdin

British Dictionary definitions for burden (2 of 2)

burden2

/ (ˈbɜːdən) /


noun
  1. a line of words recurring at the end of each verse of a ballad or similar song; chorus or refrain

  2. the principal or recurrent theme of a speech, book, etc

  1. another word for bourdon

Origin of burden

2
C16: from Old French bourdon bass horn, droning sound, of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012