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
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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:
“It’s creating such confusion, such anxiety, such an administrative burden, not just for the individuals, but for organizations like mine.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
I’m sure you don’t want to burden your stepdad, but he should be included in these talks, too.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, the financial burden on caregivers is continuing to rise along with higher costs for healthcare, groceries and seemingly everything else.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Susanna Streeter, a financial expert from Bristol-based Wealth Club, said the summer of savings should help lighten the financial burden for families during the school holidays.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But it would be one more burden on my heart if I left without finding a way to talk to her.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
We didn’t need any more burdens, emotional or financial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
While these criticisms are valid, many of these issues — particularly heavy debt burdens — also apply to China, Japan and many European nations.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026
The differences that make humans special are treated as burdens by chatbots.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Frodo’s heart was grieved as he watched them walking beside him with their heads down, and their backs bowed under their burdens.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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
Though easing gasoline prices provided some relief, respondents continue to feel burdened by inflation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
It’s a sea of nightmares in suits, and among them is Schlossberg, the Dennis the Menace we don’t deserve, don’t really want, but are burdened with regardless.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
He felt burdened as he stepped into the bright summer morning, shielding his eyes against the sun.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
“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
But it has raised concerns about burdening Louisiana electricity customers with the higher costs of additional energy infrastructure, especially if demand from Meta eventually dries up, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 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
Germany is facing a perfect storm: high energy costs burdening manufacturers, weak demand for its exports in key markets, the emergence of China as an industrial rival and the US tariff onslaught.
From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 2025
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.
