encumbrances

noun

plural of encumbrance
as in obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult without the encumbrance of a heavy backpack, I could sprint along the trail

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 encumbrances To Tommy, Anna and Molly are twittering encumbrances, idiotic in their insistence on good works and the good of man, their endless remorseful hedgings about the Communist Party. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Stopping the train to nowhere funding, using those funds to pay off our federal EDD debt so that businesses can reduce THEIR EDD encumbrances by the 1-5% they’re being charged now. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encumbrances
  1. obstacles
  2. hurdles
  3. obstructions
  4. embarrassments
  5. barriers
Noun
  • If the state case does go forward after the likely appeals are exhausted, there are obstacles that could get in the way of a potential trial.
    — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If trading partners try to mount further obstacles to Chinese exports, Beijing could turn to tools of economic coercion, such as restricted access to refined critical minerals, to compel other countries to keep their markets open.
    — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstacles
Noun
  • For 35 years, the mobile clinic has been going into Boston's underserved communities to bring free health screenings and medical advice to people who may have numerous hurdles to find it.
    — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • For some districts like Kalangala — a PURPOSE 1 trial site that wasn't included in the country's initial rollout — the oral route remains but long-standing hurdles persist.
    — Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurdles
Noun
  • State justice officials also claimed that Menlo Park forced the developers to pay the city attorney’s legal bills in supporting the municipality’s obstructions against the project.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The tip of a needle can also be helpful for clearing obstructions in the filter.
    — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 July 2026
Definition of obstructions
Noun
  • Sitting around a table in the soundstage where the pilot for I Love Lucy was filmed, the six of them tailored the roles to the actors and infused the script with arguments, embarrassments, and confessions from their own relationships.
    — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026
  • The order to whitewash America’s historic sites of anything less than rosy about the nation’s past has led to some predictable embarrassments.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Definition of embarrassments
Noun
  • Among the ideas are additional bike lanes and barriers to create a buffer between bicycles and cars.
    — James Taylor, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Tombo Banda, managing director of CrossBoundary Energy, said Chinese factories are producing more vehicle s than the domestic market can absorb while exports face mounting barriers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of barriers

Browse Nearby Words

encumbrance
encumbrances
encyclical
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Cite this Entry

“Encumbrances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encumbrances. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on encumbrances

Nglish: Translation of encumbrances for Spanish Speakers

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