burden

SayBUR-duhn/ˈbɝdn̩/UK/ˈbɜːdn̩/

Verbburdens, burdening, burdened

13 meanings of burden

1
nouncountable
Something difficult that you have to deal with, like a duty or a worry, that weighs on you.
Like a weight pressing on your chest that will not go away.
The debt was a burden that kept him awake at night.
Grief can be a heavy burden to carry alone.
UsageOften a burden to someone.
Similarweight, load, strain, responsibility, hardship
Note
2
heavy loadnouncountable
A heavy thing that a person or animal must carry.
Like a big, heavy bag you have to carry on your back.
The donkey struggled up the steep path with its heavy burden.
She set down her burden and rested by the road.
UsageOften carry a burden.
Similarload, weight, pack
Note
3
verbtransitive
To give someone something heavy or hard to deal with, like extra work or worry.
Like piling extra boxes onto someone who is already carrying a lot.
Don't burden the children with worries they can't understand.
The new rules burden small shops with extra paperwork.
UsageSay burden someone with something.
Similarsaddle, load, encumber, overload
Oppositerelieve, free
Note
4
amount in bodynouncountable
The total amount of harmful things like germs or poisons inside a living body.
Like measuring how much dirt has built up inside something.
Doctors worked to lower the patient's parasite burden.
A high burden of bacteria can make recovery slower.
Similarload
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–4, 7–8

This word comes from Old English and goes back to an old root meaning "to carry or bear."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Burden comes from Old English. en.wiktionary.org
Its ultimate root means “to carry or bear.” en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 5–6

This word came from an Old French word meaning "drone," originally referring to a musical accompaniment.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The musical sense of burden derives from Old French bordon, meaning “drone,” through Middle English burdoun. en.wiktionary.org
The word originally referred to a musical accompaniment. en.wiktionary.org