1
a
: something that is carried : load
dropped his burden of firewood
b
: duty, responsibility
forced to bear the burden of caring for her aging parents
lowering the tax burden on the middle class
2
: something oppressive or worrisome
a heavy burden of guilt
was a huge financial burden on his family
3
a
: the bearing of a load
—usually used in the phrase beast of burden
b
: capacity for carrying cargo
a ship of a hundred tons burden
4
: load sense 11
worm burdens of cattle
cancer burden
Synonyms
Examples of burden in a Sentence
Verb
I don't wish to burden you with my problems.
burdened the dog with a little backpack
Recent Examples on the Web
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
To ease these economic burdens, President Biden erased trillions of dollars in debt for millions of Americans.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
The new standard could be legally challenged by industry groups that have argued that excessively raising the standard exceeds Labor’s authority and adds heavy regulatory and financial burdens or compliance costs.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
With a landmark legal settlement poised to upend a decades-old norm that has dictated who pays real estate agents and how much, economists, agents and lenders are beginning to worry that the burden could now be on first-time home buyers.
—Eduardo Medina Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Survivors of gun injuries are often left with ongoing disabilities, trauma and financial burdens, Panchal added.
—Stephanie Colombini, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Without it, conscripts are a burden rather than a boon – freezing in the heat of battle or suffering mental breakdowns.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2024
Data finds that roughly 40% of Americans will leave behind a financial burden to a loved one in the event of their death.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
Living with her husband, youngest daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren, the burden of an eviction threat weighed heavily upon them.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The rule advances President Joe Biden’s commitment to environmental justice by delivering critical health protections for communities burdened by industrial pollution from ethylene oxide, chloroprene and other dangerous chemicals, officials said.
—Matthew Daly, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
And people who are especially burdened with other expenses — such as high medical debt or child care — could apply to have their student loans forgiven.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Holewinski asked during the meeting if the local school district would be burdened by students needing to complete their studies while staying at the center.
—Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
To survive judicial review, the government must show that the ban furthers an important government interest unrelated to speech, and does not burden significantly more speech than necessary to further that interest.
—Daniel Lyons, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The new emissions limits will bring immediate health benefits, especially in communities burdened by heavy truck traffic, said Harold Wimmer, CEO of the American Lung Association.
—Matthew Daly, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
People trying to bypass Baltimore will be inconvenienced, and people who live there will be unnecessarily burdened, but there will also be workarounds and adaptation.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
According to a 2022 Broward County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, 62% of Broward renters were cost burdened, meaning more than 30% of their income was going toward their rent.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Noun
The burden here gets added to those who did not go to college and those whose parents saved to send their kids to school.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
To ease these economic burdens, President Biden erased trillions of dollars in debt for millions of Americans.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
The new standard could be legally challenged by industry groups that have argued that excessively raising the standard exceeds Labor’s authority and adds heavy regulatory and financial burdens or compliance costs.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
With a landmark legal settlement poised to upend a decades-old norm that has dictated who pays real estate agents and how much, economists, agents and lenders are beginning to worry that the burden could now be on first-time home buyers.
—Eduardo Medina Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Survivors of gun injuries are often left with ongoing disabilities, trauma and financial burdens, Panchal added.
—Stephanie Colombini, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Without it, conscripts are a burden rather than a boon – freezing in the heat of battle or suffering mental breakdowns.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2024
Data finds that roughly 40% of Americans will leave behind a financial burden to a loved one in the event of their death.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 17 Apr. 2024
Living with her husband, youngest daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren, the burden of an eviction threat weighed heavily upon them.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Verb
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who testified in front of the committee, said the lawsuits are being filed for political purposes and hurting people who are burdened by thousands in debt.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The rule advances President Joe Biden’s commitment to environmental justice by delivering critical health protections for communities burdened by industrial pollution from ethylene oxide, chloroprene and other dangerous chemicals, officials said.
—Matthew Daly, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
And people who are especially burdened with other expenses — such as high medical debt or child care — could apply to have their student loans forgiven.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Holewinski asked during the meeting if the local school district would be burdened by students needing to complete their studies while staying at the center.
—Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
To survive judicial review, the government must show that the ban furthers an important government interest unrelated to speech, and does not burden significantly more speech than necessary to further that interest.
—Daniel Lyons, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The new emissions limits will bring immediate health benefits, especially in communities burdened by heavy truck traffic, said Harold Wimmer, CEO of the American Lung Association.
—Matthew Daly, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
People trying to bypass Baltimore will be inconvenienced, and people who live there will be unnecessarily burdened, but there will also be workarounds and adaptation.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
According to a 2022 Broward County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, 62% of Broward renters were cost burdened, meaning more than 30% of their income was going toward their rent.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burden.' 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 burden
Cite this Entry
“Burden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burden. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
burden
2 of 2 noun1
: the refrain or chorus of a song
2
: a main idea : gist
Etymology
Noun
Old English byrthen "load, burden"
Noun
an altered form of earlier bourdon "a refrain or chorus of a song," from Middle English burdoun (same meaning), from early French burdun "bass horn"
Medical Definition
burden
noun
bur·den
ˈbərd-ᵊn 
: load sense 3
worm burden
cancer burden
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