beast of burden
noun phrase
: an animal employed to carry heavy loads or to perform other heavy work (such as pulling a plow)
Examples of beast of burden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The number of wild burros roaming pine forests and sagebrush fields has grown in recent years, with experts worried that the miniature beasts of burden could overwhelm rare and endangered species of plants.
—
Annie Goodykoontz, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
The haulers would stop about ten kilometers outside the city, and there the cargo would be transferred to carts pulled by beasts of burden, a slow and arduous process that everyone had come to accept as normal.
—EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Not welcome in his own house, just the ox to plow the field, the beast of burden.
—Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024
This term was borrowed in the 16th century, reflecting the idea of a donkey as a supportive beast of burden, akin to how an easel supports a canvas for painting.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
They have been used as beasts of burden for thousands of years—hauling goods, protecting herds, carrying Jesus into Jerusalem.
—The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The erstwhile beast of burden sat for six months in a customs warehouse before agents cleared its passage.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Lacking seaworthy craft or effective beasts of burden (the llama is a prickly porter), Native American communities were largely unable to travel, and so most became inward-oriented.
—Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2012
In the 19th century, horses, ubiquitous beasts of burden in the pre-automotive age, were whipped mercilessly and forced to haul impossibly heavy loads.
—Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
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Annie Goodykoontz, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
The haulers would stop about ten kilometers outside the city, and there the cargo would be transferred to carts pulled by beasts of burden, a slow and arduous process that everyone had come to accept as normal.
—EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Not welcome in his own house, just the ox to plow the field, the beast of burden.
—Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024
This term was borrowed in the 16th century, reflecting the idea of a donkey as a supportive beast of burden, akin to how an easel supports a canvas for painting.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
They have been used as beasts of burden for thousands of years—hauling goods, protecting herds, carrying Jesus into Jerusalem.
—The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The erstwhile beast of burden sat for six months in a customs warehouse before agents cleared its passage.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Lacking seaworthy craft or effective beasts of burden (the llama is a prickly porter), Native American communities were largely unable to travel, and so most became inward-oriented.
—Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2012
In the 19th century, horses, ubiquitous beasts of burden in the pre-automotive age, were whipped mercilessly and forced to haul impossibly heavy loads.
—Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Beast of burden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beast%20of%20burden. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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