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
Examples of burden in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the early settlers often used horses to carry their burdens
the burden of homework prevented the youngster from joining his friends at the game
Verb
I don't wish to burden you with my problems.
burdened the dog with a little backpack
Noun (2)
had some trouble coming up with a burden for the song
Recent Examples on the Web
Austin Meek, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Beyond legal costs, Powers Gardner detailed new security and operational burdens.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Millions remain far from liberated from economic pressure, and few of us feel burdened by an excess of free time.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burden
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Noun
His foot injury is a reminder that there’s a cost in asking the running backs to carry the offense every week, especially when the Wolverines don’t have a third back who can ease the burden.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Beyond legal costs, Powers Gardner detailed new security and operational burdens.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
But the weight of those expectations has the ability to crush the shoulders of the fighter who’s burdened with them.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Millions remain far from liberated from economic pressure, and few of us feel burdened by an excess of free time.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burden
Cite this Entry
“Burden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burden. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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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