What does "burden" mean?
A heavy load.
Burden
/ˈbɜːdn̩/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A heavy load.
- Grammar: burden is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: load, onus, a lot of homework, accommodation.
- Useful contrasts: italian risorsa, unburdened, unsaddled.
- Usage evidence: Education should not be a burden on the parents as well as on the children.
How to use "burden"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "burden" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "burden" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "burden" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "burden" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "burden" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "load" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "burden", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A heavy load.
"I know that this was Life,—the track Whereon with equal feet we fared; And then, as now, the day prepared The daily burden for the back."
- 2 A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad.
"Foot it featly here and there; / And, sweet sprites, the burden bear."
- 3 weight to be borne or conveyed wordnet
- 4 A responsibility, onus.
- 5 The drone of a bagpipe.
"BURDEN in some musical instruments, the Drone or Bass, and the pipe or string that plays it"
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 an onerous or difficult concern wordnet
- 7 A cause of worry; that which is grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.
"c. 1710-1730, Jonathan Swift, The Dean's Complaint Translated and Answered Deaf, giddy, helpless, left alone, / To all my friends a burden grown."
- 8 Theme, core idea.
"the burden of the argument"
- 9 the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse wordnet
- 10 The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will carry.
"a ship of a hundred tons burden"
- 11 the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work wordnet
- 12 The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream of tin.
- 13 The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a blast furnace.
- 14 A fixed quantity of certain commodities.
"A burden of gad steel is 120 pounds."
- 15 A birth. obsolete, rare
"… that bore thee at a burden two fair sons."
- 16 The total amount of toxins, parasites, cancer cells, plaque or similar present in an organism.
- 17 The distance between rows of blastholes parallel to the major free face (i.e. face of the excavation)
Verb
- 1 To encumber with a literal or figurative burden. transitive
"to burden a nation with taxes"
- 2 impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to wordnet
- 3 To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable). transitive
"He was beginning to forget his burdening, despairing mood of a short while ago."
- 4 weight down with a load wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A minor city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A village in Erpeldange commune, Luxembourg (French spelling). countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Education should not be a burden on the parents as well as on the children."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "burden"?
Common synonyms include: load, onus, a lot of homework, accommodation, add, adjoin.
How do you use "burden" in a sentence?
Education should not be a burden on the parents as well as on the children.
How do you pronounce "burden"?
Pronounced /ˈbɜːdn̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English burden, birden, burthen, birthen, byrthen, from Old English byrden, byrþen, from Proto-West Germanic *burþini, from *burþī, from Proto-Germanic *burþį̄, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”).
Etymology 2
Inherited from Middle English burdoun (“accompaniment”), from Old French bordon (“drone”), from Medieval Latin burdō. Doublet of bourdon.