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
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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
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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:
New rules limiting the number of items branded with a school logo to three per child come into force in September, aimed at helping ease the financial burden.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
And on each of Pike’s claims, Ward offered the same summary conclusion that she had not met her burden of proof.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
A strong Yemen isn’t a burden on the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The results suggested that short sleep may be more directly connected with the burden of late-life depression.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Taran unstrapped the weapons on Melyngar’s saddle, shared out the burden with Fflewddur and Gurgi, and hoisted the protesting Eilonwy to Melyngar’s back.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
They are touting the way data centers are shifting tax burdens off nearby households in some cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"History has had its conflicts, but we should not carry those burdens forever. We should enjoy life".
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
In my experience, the best way to take burdens off people you care about is to tell them what you want.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The legislation vastly expanded the FDA’s remit and imposed hefty food-safety compliance burdens on hundreds of thousands of farms and food producers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Tell me your burdens and I’ll carry your load.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
Convery has nicely feathered hair and a character burdened by the plot’s corniest contrivances: a bully stubbornly pursuing him to the literal end of civilization, a lost pet dog that he’s determined to rescue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“The real purpose of them is not to be burdened with healthcare costs in retirement,” said Steve Azoury, a financial adviser and owner of Azoury Financial.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
We criticized the legislation at the time because the compliance costs disproportionately burdened smaller businesses, and they may have contributed to consolidation in food production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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
Even now, burdened as he was, he was widening the track for those who followed, thrusting the snow aside as he went.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
According to City Journal, data centers generate nearly half of the county’s tax revenue, often without burdening residents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
“Secure ballot envelope identifiers provide a reliable, auditable mechanism to enforce Federal law without unduly burdening or infringing on the rights of eligible voters,” the order reads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 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
He did not want to strap it to his back too early, then have to stand around with its weight burdening him until his turn came to crawl down the cargo net.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
