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encumber

verb

in-ˈkəm-bər How to pronounce encumber (audio)
Definition of encumbernext
1
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of the claim that all of these regulations encumber doctors, taking time away from the actual practice of medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to load
to place a weight or burden on don't encumber your pack animal so much that it can hardly move

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 encumber The Mavericks now begin a comprehensive search for their next head coach, hoping their next candidate is a promising figure with little regard for the spree of bad luck that has encumbered this organization. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2026 Many analysts noting the stock’s run-up due to news in March of price increases and a general sense of relief that the company wouldn’t be encumbered by a massive acquisition of traditional assets. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026 Neither encumbers this production. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026 His brand of athleticism is predicated on a bouncy explosiveness that shouldn’t be encumbered with unnecessary bulking. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for encumber
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encumber
  1. impede
  2. load
  3. hinder
  4. burden
  5. hamper
  6. fill
  7. obstruct
  8. embarrass
Verb
  • Throughout Europe, there are rising industry pressures, which include inflation, shipping costs and energy prices, which are impeding growth.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The ongoing conflict that has driven people from their homes in Iran as well as an internet shutdown and a lack of full cooperation from the two governments partially impeded the team's efforts to get information.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of impede
Verb
  • On Monday, six supertankers loaded 12 million barrels at Saudi terminals on the Persian Gulf, according to shipping data company Kpler.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • On a Saturday in late September 2025, the 40-year-old mother of four was loading crates of grapes onto a forklift in a Fresno County field.
    — Robert J. Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of load
Verb
  • Arrivals at the show were hindered by a combination of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of front-row guests like Monica Bellucci and Italian singer Jovanotti, and an anti-fur protest.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Sandra Mayson, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has researched the effects of pretrial detention, agreed that the move could hinder detainees’ ability to prepare their defense.
    — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of hinder
Verb
  • In 2024, the most recent year with available data, more than 41% of households were burdened in both San Bernardino and Riverside County.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Traffic burdens residents daily, and heavy rain keeps exposing the same stormwater weaknesses.
    — Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of burden
Verb
  • However, India’s economic ties to Russia have continued to hamper a deal.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • A number of promising cell therapies are in development to treat and potentially even reverse the condition, but progress in the field has been hampered in recent years by a backlog of cell and gene therapies at the FDA.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of hamper
Verb
  • Between the pools, the beach, and the restaurant lineup, most guests could fill a week without stepping off property.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Hundreds of British troops crisscrossed fields with thousands of metres of razor wire and dug a long ditch that was later partially filled with water to act as a moat to keep the Protestant marchers away from the Catholic enclave.
    — Amanda Ferguson Reuters, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of fill
Verb
  • In three years, Whitley’s job transformed from obstructing his fatherhood to enhancing it.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Critics contend that the 250-foot-tall monument, which would be nearly 100 feet taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would obstruct historic views and interfere with the privacy of military funerals at nearby Arlington National Cemetery.
    — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • Neither party acted on it; Republicans wanted to avoid embarrassing Trump, while Democrats wanted to avoid embarrassing Nancy Pelosi, whose husband is an active trader.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Ryan Clark once again accused ESPN of leaking the news of his firing to OutKick to embarrass him.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of embarrass

Browse Nearby Words

enculturating
encumber
encumbered
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Cite this Entry

“Encumber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encumber. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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