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View synonyms for burden

burden

1

[ bur-dn ]

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.

    Synonyms: impediment, encumbrance, weight

  3. Nautical.
    1. the weight of a ship's cargo.
    2. the carrying capacity of a ship.
  4. Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace.
  5. Accounting. overhead ( def 6 ).


verb (used with object)

  1. to load heavily.
  2. to load oppressively; trouble.

    Synonyms: vex, grieve, plague, perturb, afflict, try, saddle, weigh down

burden

2

[ bur-dn ]

noun

  1. the main point, message, or idea.

    Synonyms: essence, nucleus, crux, core, substance, gist

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

burden

1

/ ˈbɜːdən /

noun

  1. something that is carried; load
  2. something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bear onerous

    the burden of responsibility

  3. nautical
    1. the cargo capacity of a ship
    2. the weight of a ship's cargo
“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


verb

  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

“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

burden

2

/ 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
  3. another word for bourdon
“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
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Other Words From

  • burden·er noun
  • burden·less adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of burden1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, birthen, birden, Old English byrthen; akin to German Bürde, Gothic baurthei; 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”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of burden1

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

Origin of burden2

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

See load.
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Example Sentences

In actions that address climate change, there are actions that can promote equity, actions that can help us forestall pandemics, and that can at some of the biggest disease burdens in the world.

From Fortune

That collective burden will drag down regional incomes by roughly 10%, amounting to one of the largest transfers of wealth in American history, as people who live farther north will benefit from that change and see their fortunes rise.

Stanley Fischer, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve, said Friday in a Bloomberg Television interview that a low interest-rate burden means the Fed can do more to bolster the economy.

From Fortune

The benefit we have is we don’t have the burden of traditional media.

From Digiday

Maybe the user will not do that, and the burden shouldn’t be on the individual to make these decisions.

“If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden,” he said.

The constitutional problem with this ruling, experts say, is that it places an extra burden on women for being pregnant.

Of course, the reason such waiting lists exist is that funding everyone would be a financial burden states could not bear.

“There are indications that decriminalization can reduce the burden on criminal justice systems,” the report said.

“No nation in history has ever survived a tax burden that reached a third of its national income,” he warned.

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

She could not be anything but a burden and a torment; her last years would probably be dreadful, both for herself and for others.

Under ordinary circumstances these men can travel with their burden from twenty to thirty miles a day.

Hence, in their professed attempt to aid the memory, they really impose a new and additional burden upon it.

The financial burden of the war, as the full measure of it dawned upon our minds, seemed to betoken a universal bankruptcy.

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burdburdened