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.

“That is expensive, not sustainable and encumbers future generations with further long-term liabilities,” Karsten Smid, an energy expert with the group’s German branch, said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024

By now we all know the basic data about college student loan debt—that it totals more than $1.7 trillion, encumbers around 40 million people at present, and cannot be absolved in bankruptcy.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2021

North Korea’s trade with China plunged more than 80% last year, Chinese customs data has shown, as the isolated country’s strict coronavirus lockdown encumbers an economy already burdened by international sanctions.

From The Guardian • Jan. 19, 2021

He has said that he wears one when he’s concerned about being respectful, but that a jacket encumbers his political pugilism.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2020

It’s the way civilized man now encumbers his territory, not with great walls or stretches of wire but with a single well-placed device, a neat bundling with the workings of a mind.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee