1
as in loads
a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported
the early settlers often used horses to carry their burdens
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in responsibilities
something one must do because of prior agreement
the burden of homework prevented the youngster from joining his friends at the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in weights
to place a weight or burden on
burdened the dog with a little backpack
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in troubles
to make sad
refuses to let everyday problems burden her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of burdens
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The outcome could set a precedent for how far courts can go in easing logistical burdens on defendants in sensitive-information cases without compromising government secrecy.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Trump saw just the burdens, not the benefits, of playing a leading role in international organizations.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Mounting data may confirm Boatwright’s suspicions about Gen Z’s financial burdens.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
But opponents say historic status could inhibit and delay any future redevelopment, including on KC Life’s vacant land, while placing new costs and burdens on homeowners in the neighborhood.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025
The department will be asking the state legislature for $120 million in additional funding, but the money is not guaranteed to be approved, particularly in the face of budget uncertainty after Congress passed a bill in July that puts new financial burdens on states.
—Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Pujols is well-acquainted, too, with the burdens of being the face of a franchise with World Series title aspirations every year.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Similarly to energy burdens, analysis showed a heavier cost burden from water and wastewater bills in Louisville's West End.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Phil Galewitz, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
And that burdens a lot of our recipients.
—Ashley Lopez, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Critics of the way the administration is handling immigration enforcement have raised concerns that holding people without criminal convictions or charges unnecessarily burdens the system and pulls undocumented immigrants away from their families.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
As more states move to reduce and phase out their income taxes in the coming years, the lack of an income tax becomes less of an advantage, making the need to address relatively high property tax burdens more imperative.
—Patrick Gleason, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Why would citizens vote for someone who burdens them with regressive taxes and prioritizes labor unions and migrants over them?
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
Industry pushback and innovation concerns Some tech companies argue that such regulation could stifle innovation, limit beneficial uses of conversational AI (education, mental-health support for older teens) or impose heavy compliance burdens.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The outcome could set a precedent for how far courts can go in easing logistical burdens on defendants in sensitive-information cases without compromising government secrecy.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Trump saw just the burdens, not the benefits, of playing a leading role in international organizations.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Mounting data may confirm Boatwright’s suspicions about Gen Z’s financial burdens.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
But opponents say historic status could inhibit and delay any future redevelopment, including on KC Life’s vacant land, while placing new costs and burdens on homeowners in the neighborhood.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025
The department will be asking the state legislature for $120 million in additional funding, but the money is not guaranteed to be approved, particularly in the face of budget uncertainty after Congress passed a bill in July that puts new financial burdens on states.
—Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Pujols is well-acquainted, too, with the burdens of being the face of a franchise with World Series title aspirations every year.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Similarly to energy burdens, analysis showed a heavier cost burden from water and wastewater bills in Louisville's West End.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
Advocates say the push burdens states with duplicative verification checks and could lead people to lose coverage just for missing paperwork deadlines.
—Phil Galewitz, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
And that burdens a lot of our recipients.
—Ashley Lopez, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Critics of the way the administration is handling immigration enforcement have raised concerns that holding people without criminal convictions or charges unnecessarily burdens the system and pulls undocumented immigrants away from their families.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
As more states move to reduce and phase out their income taxes in the coming years, the lack of an income tax becomes less of an advantage, making the need to address relatively high property tax burdens more imperative.
—Patrick Gleason, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Why would citizens vote for someone who burdens them with regressive taxes and prioritizes labor unions and migrants over them?
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burdens
Verb
-
Despite taking in eight to 12 tractor trailer loads a day, Cooper said the demand for food items is greater than the supply, so the inventory is starting to shrink.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
4 Nov. 2025
-
At the Guigò Lab of the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, a technician loads a sample into a genome sequencing machine.—
Glenn Zorpette,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That last hurdle, safely landing a SpaceX Starship HLS (Human Landing System) spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, upright on the moon, particularly troubles Green.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Rather, what troubles him are the claims that the song’s success has been manufactured.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For example, Mark Jaffe, who leads the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, worries Mamdani’s proposals for city-run grocery stores would cut into business at bodegas.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
McKellar worries that kids who are afraid of math tend to grow into adults who avoid numbers.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As Sportico has detailed, many of these cases have come up short, including because courts have found the VPPA concerns information that would be decipherable to an ordinary person—like a list of videos someone watched—whereas interpretation of cookies requires technology and expertise.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Proposition 50 is on the ballot in California, which concerns the Democrats’ proposed redistricting map.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Their style of pitching — relentlessly pound the strike zone — works well in a ballpark where the thick air depresses doubles and triples.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
As Aerohart explains of its own device, the user simply puts the tinder – char cloth seems to be the most recommended – inside the cavity at the tip of the removable piston rod, reinstalls the piston back into the cylinder, then firmly and rapidly depresses it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Now, a sinister witch (Sarah Stephens) who bathes her broomstick in the woods tortures their existence, abducting their infant and leaving the family in shambles.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The mistake tortures them, which prompts the couple to try and solve the mystery by producing a fake play in an attempt to get their ex-neighbor Mary (Chloe Cherry) to audition.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His policies have been instrumental in dismantling the criminal enterprise that oppresses the Venezuelan people.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burdens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burdens. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share