Showing results for "laden"

• past participle of lade.

laden

American  

[leyd-n] / ˈleɪd n /

adjective

1. burdened; loaded down.

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verb (used with object)

1. to lade.

laden British  

/ ˈleɪdən /

verb

1. a past participle of lade 1

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adjective

1. weighed down with a load; loaded

2. encumbered; burdened

Other Word Forms

• unladen
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of laden

First recorded in 1585–95; lade + -en ³, -en ¹

Explanation

Something that is laden is weighted down by something heavy, like an apple tree that's laden with fruit. Laden comes from the Old English word hladan, meaning "to load, heap." Think of the related word ladle, a big scoop you dip into something, such as soup or hot fudge. Laden can be a verb that describes using a ladle or otherwise filling or loading something up, like a teacher who ladens students with homework. Laden can be an adjective that describes the feeling of burden or stress from all that work.

Example Sentences

Conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan has also led to a stall in trade, with hundreds of trucks laden with goods sitting stuck at closed border crossings for months.

From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026

The strait is due to open “on paper” around June 19, but the first move is “purely mechanical,” they said — noting that roughly 119 laden tankers were trapped inside the Persian Gulf.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026

“I wasn’t expecting an offer or anything,” Conlon said recently in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion office he has occupied for 20 years and laden with mementos soon to be boxed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

Guardiola announced on 22 May he would step down as City boss after a trophy laden decade in charge, and Maresca was quickly identified as the leading contender to be his replacement.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

For their wedding, he had imagined perfection, the house in Nsukka festively decorated, the crisp white tablecloth laden with dishes.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie