beast of burden
noun phrase
: an animal employed to carry heavy loads or to perform other heavy work (such as pulling a plow)
Examples of beast of burden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
They have been used as beasts of burden for thousands of years—hauling goods, protecting herds, carrying Jesus into Jerusalem.
—
The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The erstwhile beast of burden sat for six months in a customs warehouse before agents cleared its passage.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Lacking seaworthy craft or effective beasts of burden (the llama is a prickly porter), Native American communities were largely unable to travel, and so most became inward-oriented.
—Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2012
In the 19th century, horses, ubiquitous beasts of burden in the pre-automotive age, were whipped mercilessly and forced to haul impossibly heavy loads.
—Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Not welcome in his own house, just the ox to plow the field, the beast of burden.
—Nick Bowlin, Harper's Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Half of the more than 7,000 elephants that live in Thailand are captive, the result of generations used as beasts of burden in the logging industry until it was outlawed in 1989.
—Melissa Klurman, Parents, 1 Dec. 2023
While South American llamas are beasts of burden that haul bushels of corn through the mountainside, North American ones are more apt to be fussed-over pets that are shampooed regularly and rented out as photogenic wedding guests or even golf caddies.
—Jennifer A. Kingson Peter Fisher, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2023
Releasing your first album in 18 years is a beast of burden — so the Rolling Stones got some help.
—Vulture, 28 Sep. 2023
The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The erstwhile beast of burden sat for six months in a customs warehouse before agents cleared its passage.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Lacking seaworthy craft or effective beasts of burden (the llama is a prickly porter), Native American communities were largely unable to travel, and so most became inward-oriented.
—Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2012
In the 19th century, horses, ubiquitous beasts of burden in the pre-automotive age, were whipped mercilessly and forced to haul impossibly heavy loads.
—Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Not welcome in his own house, just the ox to plow the field, the beast of burden.
—Nick Bowlin, Harper's Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Half of the more than 7,000 elephants that live in Thailand are captive, the result of generations used as beasts of burden in the logging industry until it was outlawed in 1989.
—Melissa Klurman, Parents, 1 Dec. 2023
While South American llamas are beasts of burden that haul bushels of corn through the mountainside, North American ones are more apt to be fussed-over pets that are shampooed regularly and rented out as photogenic wedding guests or even golf caddies.
—Jennifer A. Kingson Peter Fisher, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2023
Releasing your first album in 18 years is a beast of burden — so the Rolling Stones got some help.
—Vulture, 28 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beast of burden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Beast of burden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beast%20of%20burden. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
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