burden

1 of 3

noun (1)

bur·​den ˈbər-dᵊn How to pronounce burden (audio)
1
a
: something that is carried : load
dropped his burden of firewood
b
: duty, responsibility
forced to bear the burden of caring for her aging parents
lowering the tax burden on the middle class
2
: something oppressive or worrisome
a heavy burden of guilt
was a huge financial burden on his family
3
a
: the bearing of a load
usually used in the phrase beast of burden
b
: capacity for carrying cargo
a ship of a hundred tons burden
4
: load sense 11
worm burdens of cattle
cancer burden

burden

2 of 3

verb

burdened; burdening ˈbərd-niŋ How to pronounce burden (audio)
ˈbər-dᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

: load, oppress
I will not burden you with a lengthy account.

burden

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
a
: a central topic : theme
the burden of the argument
2
archaic : a bass or accompanying part
I would sing my song without a burden; thou bringest me out of tuneShakespeare

Examples of burden in a Sentence

Verb I don't wish to burden you with my problems. burdened the dog with a little backpack
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Typically, the burden falls on the mother to give up her career. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 23 Nov. 2023 What burden does that put on someone coming forward? August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Slashing government outlays will be a burden on Argentina’s poorest citizens. Kevin Simauchi, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 Recognizing the evidence that people over age 65, now a fifth of the American population, are not a burden on society or a drain on scarce resources. Clara Germani, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Nov. 2023 And spouses can hold onto only a modest amount of income and assets, often leaving their children and grandchildren to shoulder some of the financial burden. Jordan Rau, Fortune Well, 16 Nov. 2023 That lack of access to affordable insurance will place a greater financial burden on residents in high-hazard areas, particularly low-income communities in which many people may not have the resources to relocate. Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023 Prosecutors bear the burden of proving that the attack was due to Nancy Pelosi’s role as House Speaker, and that DePape intended to kidnap her after breaking into the lawmaker’s home. Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023 This can create additional administrative burdens. 5. Matthew Erskine, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Verb
Every game, direct sequels aside, is a different incarnation of the cast living their lives until once again burdened with glorious purpose to be drawn back into the endless cycle. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2023 The bill faced opposition from all 13 Senate Republicans and nine Senate Democrats, who argued that universal background checks would unfairly burden law-abiding gun owners. Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023 Romney was too stiff, too much of a politician, to burdened by years of compromise. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2023 The institutional response was that burdening businesses with smog regulations would be too costly. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 Oil prices rose after Saudi Arabia announced supply cuts, enriching energy producers and burdening most other companies and most consumers. Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023 Teams are often burdened with jumbles of different KPIs that say different things, especially as operations become more complex. François Candelon, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023 Over half of holiday shoppers expect to feel financially burdened this year, according to a Bankrate.com survey. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 Calculating that Hamas had never directly threatened the U.S. and burdened with other spying priorities, Washington ceded the responsibility to Israel, confident that its aggressive security services would detect any threat, the U.S. officials said. WSJ, 1 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, from Old English byrthen; akin to Old English beran to carry — more at bear

Noun (2)

Middle English burdoun, from Anglo-French burdun a drone bass, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1541, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of burden was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near burden

Cite this Entry

“Burden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burden. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

burden

1 of 2 noun
bur·​den ˈbərd-ᵊn How to pronounce burden (audio)
1
a
: something carried : load
b
: something taken as a duty or responsibility
tax burdens
2
: something hard to take
a burden of sorrow
3
a
: the carrying of loads
beast of burden
b
: capacity for carrying cargo
a ship of 100 tons burden
burden verb

burden

2 of 2 noun
1
: the refrain or chorus of a song
2
: a main idea : gist
Etymology

Noun

Old English byrthen "load, burden"

Noun

an altered form of earlier bourdon "a refrain or chorus of a song," from Middle English burdoun (same meaning), from early French burdun "bass horn"

Medical Definition

burden

noun
bur·​den ˈbərd-ᵊn How to pronounce burden (audio)
: load sense 3
worm burden
cancer burden

Legal Definition

burden

noun
bur·​den
1
: something that is a duty, obligation, or responsibility
the prosecution has the burden of proving every element of the offense
the statute imposes undue burdens
burden of pleading the necessary elements
2

More from Merriam-Webster on burden

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