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
-
Nautical.
-
the weight of a ship's cargo.
-
the carrying capacity of a ship.
-
-
Mining. overburden.
-
Metallurgy. the minerals charged into a blast furnace or steelmaking furnace.
-
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
-
the weight of a ship's cargo
-
verb
-
(sometimes foll by up) to put or impose a burden on; load
-
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
-
have burdenedperfect
-
has burdenedperfect
-
am burdeningprogressive
-
are burdeningprogressive
-
is burdeningprogressive
-
have been burdeningperfect progressive
-
has been burdeningperfect progressive
Past
-
burdenedsimple
-
had burdenedperfect
-
was burdeningprogressive
-
were burdeningprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Many households across Northern Ireland continue to be hit with high prices for home heating oil, with one woman saying there is a "severe" financial burden on childminders.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
"That's all increased massively and a lot of the parents are saying if we're increasing our rates it's a financial burden on them."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lower crude and product prices would ease that burden and give Washington greater time, freedom of action and leverage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
This week Quentin Fottrell — aka The Moneyist — helped a reader who was bearing the main burden for caring for her mother, and having mixed feelings about it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
He didn't have to worry about anything anymore, while I carried the burden of the world on my shoulders.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
“Probate can add costs, administrative burdens and stress for families during a period of grief. It also impacts privacy and can complicate asset management.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026
And student loans and inflation are posing still more burdens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“The proposed rule may create significant new compliance burdens and legal uncertainty for institutions already operating in accordance with existing nondiscrimination requirements ... “ the statement said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Washington has framed its host year around limiting regulatory burdens and promoting new technologies.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Even worse, this trend may be due partly to the fact that burdens an attentive reader with ten words, seven levels, and more than two dozen branches.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Homeowner associations and ecologists argued for more lenient rules, saying plants carried health benefits and stricter regulations burdened homeowners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Perhaps to their point, you aren’t burdened by your own children — don’t allow yourself to be burdened by theirs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 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
Though easing gasoline prices provided some relief, respondents continue to feel burdened by inflation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
I cry with horror that all the family has been burdened by me, and even more with being the cause of so much grief.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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
Based on numbers, it has a limitless complexity to engage the ingenuity and creativity of its adherents, without burdening them with the need for validation or testing.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
