disburden

verb

dis·​bur·​den (ˌ)dis-ˈbər-dᵊn How to pronounce disburden (audio)
disburdened; disburdening; disburdens

transitive verb

1
a
: to rid of a burden
disburden a pack animal
b
: unburden
disburden your conscience
2
: unload
disburdened their merchandise in the town square

intransitive verb

: discharge
the vessels disburdened at the dock
disburdenment noun

Examples of disburden in a Sentence

disburdened the oil tanker before it could leak any more oil the cinema was a place where we could disburden ourselves of our cares, if only for a couple of hours
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Nelson sometimes counsels musicians to feel, not count — to disburden themselves of metronomic ideas about tempo and go with the flow. Jody Rosen, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 This is again a reform that would very much disburden the poor, the crime being so closely linked to their particular distress. Marilynne Robinson, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of disburden was in 1532

Dictionary Entries Near disburden

Cite this Entry

“Disburden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disburden. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

disburden

verb
dis·​bur·​den (ˈ)dis-ˈbərd-ᵊn How to pronounce disburden (audio)
disburdenment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disburden

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!