overburden
Americanverb (used with object)
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overburdens,
present (3rd person singular)
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overburdened,
past participle, past
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overburdening
present participle
noun
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an excessive burden.
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Also called burden, capping. Mining. waste earth and rock covering a mineral deposit.
verb
noun
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an excessive burden or load
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geology the sedimentary rock material that covers coal seams, mineral veins, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overburdensimple
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overburdenssimple
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have overburdenedperfect
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has overburdenedperfect
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am overburdeningprogressive
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are overburdeningprogressive
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is overburdeningprogressive
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have been overburdeningperfect progressive
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has been overburdeningperfect progressive
Past
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overburdenedsimple
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had overburdenedperfect
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was overburdeningprogressive
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were overburdeningprogressive
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had been overburdeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overburden
Explanation
When you give someone too much to carry, you overburden them. Don't overburden yourself with too much gear in your hiking backpack, or you'll never make it up the mountain! You can literally overburden someone, which you do whenever you ask them to hold too much weight: "Let me carry some of those books. I don't want you to overburden yourself" There's also a figurative way to overburden another person, by pressuring them or making them work too hard: "If the budget cuts go through and school aides are laid off, it will overburden teachers."
Vocabulary lists containing overburden
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:
In the end, some 125 took the offer, threatening to overburden a corps already struggling to inspect even a sliver of the nation’s 130,000 licensed firearms dealers.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
Override foes said a hefty property tax jump would overburden residents, particularly seniors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Mr Forsyth stressed that any law would need to work in tandem with medical professionals so as not to overburden them.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
Even so, to overburden a few food metaphors, there are a lot of flavors at play in Healy’s poignant, surreal family drama.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2023
“We cannot overburden our pack animals; the Princess Eilonwy and Gurgi will share our own horses.”
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
He occasionally overburdens the reader with minutiae of political and organizational rivalries and is more workman than stylist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
This simultaneously overburdens and disempowers the lower courts.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2025
That means tools such as vaccines will be prioritized; but in countries where dengue is endemic, the rainy season completely overburdens their health systems and what they desperately need are treatments, said Crockett.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 4, 2023
Laura Cantrell is an emphatic single-syllable rhymer, a classic-minded country singer who never overburdens a song: Her last album was a collection of Kitty Wells covers, and that’s about as contemporary as her tastes run.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2014
The general absence of a distinct aim sharpens the faculties in the keen pursuit of details, and lends an importance to trifles which overburdens at every turn the responsibility borne by the nerves.
From Don Orsino by F. Marion (Francis Marion) Crawford
Managers often fall into a sole-provider trap by jumping in to solve problems, which leaves them overburdened and employees waiting for input.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Healthcare economists say giving people access to preventive healthcare saves taxpayers money in the long run by keeping the workforce healthy and relieving pressure on an overburdened system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
He said the government was "passing the buck to overstretched schools and overburdened teachers", adding that they were being asked to adapt without clear expectations of what an inclusive school must provide.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The industry went through a difficult time in the 2010s because of overburdened balance sheets, and now many companies are staying lean to be flexible for the future.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
My mother told me that that could not be, that Granny was already overburdened with looking after herself and her other children and could not afford to take us in.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
While the higher price may reduce sales, she says she is considering making small adjustments, cutting costs, improving efficiency and exploring alternative markets to stay competitive without overburdening her customers.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025
As an advocate for better food in schools and hospitals, she sees her love of “cheats” as a tool to help institutions create better meals without overburdening their staff.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2024
The coalition warned, however, that doing so could “further marginalize high-risk populations and divert resources from struggling facilities while simultaneously overburdening higher-level facilities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
Its creators wanted to avoid overburdening the Weather Service’s computing system, so it does not include as many variables as a private company’s proprietary one might, he said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
By way of supplement I wish to state that the reports of travelers and missionaries concerning the overburdening of women among savages and barbarians do not in the least contradict the above statements.
From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Friedrich Engels
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