over·bur·den
ˌō-vər-ˈbər-dᵊn 
overburdened; overburdening; overburdens
: to place an excessive burden on
over·bur·den
ˈō-vər-ˌbər-dᵊn
: material overlying a deposit of useful geologic materials or bedrock
Synonyms
Examples of overburden in a Sentence
Verb
She overburdened me with work.
Why overburden yourself when people are offering to help?
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Hippeau, Fortune, 28 May 2024
Meanwhile, speculation increases that the state’s insurer of last resort – the bare-bones FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan – could face insolvency as desperate homeowners overburden that system.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 20 May 2024
That exclusion has also drawn concern from residents in another Maryland community considered overburdened by pollution, Prince George’s County’s Brandywine, and other environmental advocacy groups.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2024
Yes, our system is overburdened, but that doesn’t mean that your needs don’t matter—and speaking up about a ridiculously long wait time isn’t that big of a deal, all things considered!
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller, SELF, 3 Apr. 2024
But the Democratic state legislator says too many mothers are overburdened by high child care costs.
—Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Biden’s plan earned broad support from Democrats across the country who argued people are overburdened by student loan debt.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024
The department also blamed the COVID-19 pandemic, which overburdened health departments nationwide with employees now asked to enforce new safety protocols.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024
But she was overburdened with cases, and Ms. Jacobs was insistent.
—Tim Arango, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Wendy Dean, STAT, 7 June 2023
Approaches to reduce firearm violence should also be coupled with an investment in addressing social and economic factors such as concentrated poverty and segregation that contribute to an overburden of violence in under-resourced communities.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 May 2022
This is partly due to an overburden of industry in minority neighborhoods.
—Safia Samee Ali, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2022
The working assumption was that everything would soon be crushed by the overburden of snow anyway.
—Jon Gertner, WIRED, 12 June 2019
Keep in mind, the whole purpose of this was to relieve students of the overburden of exams and let teachers teach.
—Kristen M. Clark, miamiherald, 3 May 2017
Verb
SPACs were also heralded as a potential solution (an IPO-lite process designed for small companies), and the market initially met them with excitement, but in recent years, they’ve been overburdened with regulations that all but obviate their intended purpose.
—Eric Hippeau, Fortune, 28 May 2024
Meanwhile, speculation increases that the state’s insurer of last resort – the bare-bones FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan – could face insolvency as desperate homeowners overburden that system.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 20 May 2024
That exclusion has also drawn concern from residents in another Maryland community considered overburdened by pollution, Prince George’s County’s Brandywine, and other environmental advocacy groups.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2024
Yes, our system is overburdened, but that doesn’t mean that your needs don’t matter—and speaking up about a ridiculously long wait time isn’t that big of a deal, all things considered!
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller, SELF, 3 Apr. 2024
But the Democratic state legislator says too many mothers are overburdened by high child care costs.
—Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Biden’s plan earned broad support from Democrats across the country who argued people are overburdened by student loan debt.
—Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024
The department also blamed the COVID-19 pandemic, which overburdened health departments nationwide with employees now asked to enforce new safety protocols.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024
But she was overburdened with cases, and Ms. Jacobs was insistent.
—Tim Arango, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
The demand-resource mismatches of burnout, the operational drivers, are substantial and must be addressed: clumsy electronic medical records, understaffing, and administrative overburden, among others.
—Wendy Dean, STAT, 7 June 2023
Approaches to reduce firearm violence should also be coupled with an investment in addressing social and economic factors such as concentrated poverty and segregation that contribute to an overburden of violence in under-resourced communities.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 May 2022
This is partly due to an overburden of industry in minority neighborhoods.
—Safia Samee Ali, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2022
The working assumption was that everything would soon be crushed by the overburden of snow anyway.
—Jon Gertner, WIRED, 12 June 2019
Keep in mind, the whole purpose of this was to relieve students of the overburden of exams and let teachers teach.
—Kristen M. Clark, miamiherald, 3 May 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overburden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overburden
Cite this Entry
“Overburden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overburden. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
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