burden

¹ American  

[bur-dn] / ˈbɜr 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. Mining. overburden.

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

6. Accounting. overhead.

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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 American  

[bur-dn] / ˈbɜr 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.

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burden ¹ British  

/ ˈbɜːdən /

noun

1. something that is carried; load

2. something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bear

   the burden of responsibility

3. nautical

   1. the cargo capacity of a ship

   2. the weight of a ship's cargo

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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

burden ² British  

/ 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

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Related Words

See load.

Other Word Forms

• burdener noun
• burdenless adjective

Etymology

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”

Example Sentences

A co-CEO model divides responsibility, accountability, and, ultimately, the burden between two people.

From BBC

Or maybe, through repeated exposure, Americans have been desensitized to the burden that unnecessary complexity imposes on us.

From The Wall Street Journal

That is, of course, the burden of all awards shows, and a line that is always crossed.

From Los Angeles Times

The big companies say they support moves to make the industry more transparent so long as they don't put too high a burden on vets.

From BBC

Influenza continues to place a heavy burden on health systems worldwide.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• anxiety
• concern
• difficulty
• duty
• hardship
• load
• onus
• responsibility
• strain
• task
• tax
• trouble
• worry