unburden

[ uhn-bur-dn ]
See synonyms for: unburdenunburdenedunburdeningunburdens on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to free from a burden.

  2. to relieve (one's mind, conscience, etc.) by revealing or confessing something.

  1. to cast off or get rid of, as a burden or something burdensome; disclose; reveal: He unburdened the worries that plagued him.

Origin of unburden

1
First recorded in 1530–40; un-2 + burden1

Other words for unburden

Words Nearby unburden

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unburden in a sentence

  • Constantine, Gorgo and old Eusebius were left together, and the young girl was longing to unburden her over-full heart.

    Serapis, Complete | Georg Ebers
  • Garson hesitated for a moment, then decided to unburden himself, for he craved precise knowledge in this matter.

    Within the Law | Marvin Dana
  • I understood well enough that it was through sympathy that he had invited me to unburden.

    Who Goes There? | Blackwood Ketcham Benson

British Dictionary definitions for unburden

unburden

/ (ʌnˈbɜːdən) /


verb(tr)
  1. to remove a load or burden from

  2. to relieve or make free (one's mind, oneself, etc) of a worry, trouble, etc, by revelation or confession

  • Archaic spelling: unburthen (ʌnˈbɜːðən)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012