unburden

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verb un·bur·den \ ˌən-ˈbər-dᵊn \

Definition of unburden

transitive verb

1 :to free or relieve from a burden

2 :to relieve oneself of (cares, fears, worries, etc.) :cast off

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Examples of unburden in a Sentence

the crew was frantically unburdening the ship in an attempt to save it
a generous friend unburdened her of that particular financial worry

Recent Examples of unburden from the Web

There's Inez, a friend in the clouds, someone eager to leave the world and death behind and ready to be unburdened.

— melinda morris, NOLA.com, "'RuPaul's Drag Race' contestants coming to Metairie," 10 July 2017
There's Inez, a friend in the clouds, someone eager to leave the world and death behind and ready to be unburdened.

— will nevin, OregonLive.com, "The emptiness of endless life: On 'After Death' with writer Scott Snyder and artist Jeff Lemire," 10 July 2017
But over the course of a couple of weeks (Lap Chi Chu’s rich lighting helps mark the passage of hours and days), the three lurch toward an odd rapport, fueled in part by booze and a seeming need to unburden themselves.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Playhouse's 'Old Place' finds friendship and redemption on the front lawn," 10 July 2017
Katy Perry is really unburdening herself this press cycle.

— anna silman, The Cut, "Katy Perry Had ‘a Lot of Therapy’ About Orlando Bloom’s Naked Paddleboarding Incident," 28 June 2017
Ross, for instance, had returned to Chicago—Stanford degree in hand—and was on his way to becoming a popular newscaster, by all evidence unburdened by the stock market crash.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Sea of Dreams: How William Wrigley Jr. brought the Wrigley Ocean Marathon to life," 23 June 2017
Democracy for America Chair Jim Dean unburdened himself in a press release delivered soon after Ossoff's loss was confirmed.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Progressives already thought Democrats were aimless. The special election wipeout might prove their point," 21 June 2017
To unburden some of its debt, Gymboree has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will reportedly close more than 375 of its stores.

— lisa fu, Fortune, "Gymboree Will Close More Than 375 Stores After Filing for Bankruptcy," 12 June 2017
But, usually, unburdening ourselves rather than burden-sharing won't work out to our liking.

— joshua geltzer and jon finer, CNN, "Trump's message to the world: Do it yourself," 10 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unburden.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unburden

circa 1538

unburden Synonyms

Synonyms

disburden, discharge, disencumber, off-load, unload, unlade, unpack

Antonyms

load, pack

Related Words

free, lighten, relieve; clear, empty, evacuate, vacate, void

Near Antonyms

charge, cram, fill, heap, jam, jam-pack, stuff

UNBURDEN Defined for English Language Learners

unburden

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verb

Definition of unburden for English Language Learners

: to take a problem or burden away from (someone or something)

UNBURDEN Defined for Kids

unburden

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verb un·bur·den \ ˌən-ˈbər-dᵊn \

Definition of unburden for Students

unburdened; unburdening

:to free from a burden and especially from something causing worry or unhappiness After weeks of worry she unburdened herself to her friends.

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See words that rhyme with unburden Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unburden Spanish Central: Translation of unburden Nglish: Translation of unburden for Spanish speakers

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UNBURDEN Defined for English Language Learners

unburden

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