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
  • The restrictions prohibit parking on streets in very high fire-hazard severity zones and require residents to keep roadways clear of obstacles that could impede fire apparatus or people evacuating during a fire.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Ukraine accused Washington of delaying the delivery of vital interceptor missiles and reported that a temporary disruption to the Starlink and Starshield satellite internet service impeded its ability to defend against Russian attacks.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of impede
Verb
  • Keeping the ship flying night after night took around 100 roadies and stagehands, who had to disassemble it, load it up, haul it to the next city and reassemble it after every gig.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Crude oil tankers are docked and loaded at the Bajo Grande oil terminal on Lake Maracaibo in San Francisco, Zulia state, Venezuela, on September 1, 2026.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of load
Verb
  • Spending weeks and months to build an AI strategy without testing hinders the ability to react.
    — Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Stocks historically tend to rally after the midterms anyway, but this time around, some were worried the solid run-up in the S&P 500 this year was going to potentially hinder those gains.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of hinder
Verb
  • Civil rights groups have warned that data centers are often built in communities already burdened by pollution and climate risk.
    — Sasha Tuddenham, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Connecticut’s own tax fairness studies have shown the combined state and municipal tax systems have disproportionately burdened the poor and middle class.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of burden
Verb
  • Simmons, hampered by a leg injury after a QB draw in the fourth quarter, threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-43 accuracy.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Colonialism herded these Indigenous communities directly in the path of the bears’ ancient migration, and now hunting regulations hamper their ability to manage the population.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of hamper
Verb
  • But the crowd gathered to greet him at the central Plaza Independencia was much smaller, not even filling half the length of the vast square.
    — Carrie Kahn, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The post also included photos of a table filled with bouquets gifted to Jenner for her birthday and a shot of her in riding gear on a horse on the beach.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of fill
Verb
  • But doing so means obstructing the inner part of the corona, which harbors the most important processes that underpin the puzzling phenomena of the sun’s upper atmosphere.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The jury also found her guilty of petty misdemeanor charges of obstructing federal property, disrupting government officials’ duties and failing to comply with officials’ orders.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • The Jets have already been embarrassed by the Bears and Dolphins this season.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The colliding scandals embarrassed the city of South Lake Tahoe, a Sierra Nevada enclave of about 21,000 people near the Nevada border, where residents addressed the situation at an emotional City Council meeting last year.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrass

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encumber
encumbered
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Cite this Entry

“Encumber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encumber. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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