BURDEN | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
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English (US)

Meaning of burden in English

burden
noun [ C ]
us
/ˈbɝː.dən/ uk
/ˈbɜː.dən/
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a heavy load that you carry:
heavy burden The little donkey struggled under its heavy burden.
C1
something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about:
the burden of responsibility
heavy burden I'm afraid this role may have become too much of a heavy burden for you.
burden to My elderly mother worries that she's a burden to me.
burden on We need to avoid putting a burden on taxpayers with this project.
financial burden Buying a house often places a large financial burden on young couples.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Physical supports and supporting
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Idiom

the burden of proof
burden
verb [ T ]
us
/ˈbɝː.dən/ uk
/ˈbɜː.dən/
to trouble someone with something difficult or unpleasant:
burden someone with something I don't want to burden you with my problems.
The irony of it is that the new tax system will burden those it was intended to help.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Inconvenience
See more results »
(Definition of burden from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

burden | Intermediate English

burden
noun [ C ]
us
/ˈbɜr·dən/
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a duty or responsibility that is hard to bear:
I don’t want to be a burden on my children.
burden
verb [ T ]
us/ˈbɜrd·ən/
to give someone problems, trouble, or responsibilities:
He was burdened with debts.
(Definition of burden from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

burden | Business English

burden
noun [ C ]
uk
/ˈbɜːdən/ us
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a difficult situation or unpleasant responsibility that you must deal with or worry about:
ease/lighten/reduce the burden (on sb) By training additional staff, management could significantly ease the burden on its over-worked personnel.
heavy/big/enormous burden I sympathize with the heavy burden of paperwork they have to deal with.
the administrative/legal burden
the responsibility of paying money that you owe, or the large amount of money that you owe:
bear/carry/assume the burden (for sth) If the new law is passed, tax payers will assume the burden for rising energy costs.
financial/economic burden He proposed that the state accept the financial burden.
a tax/mortgage/loan burden
See also
debt burden
burden
verb [ T ]
uk
/ˈbɜːdən/ us
to make someone responsible for something that is very difficult, unpleasant, or expensive to deal with:
be burdened with/by sth Borrowers are already burdened with mortgage extras such as arrangement fees and life assurance cover.
a nation burdened by heavy unemployment
(Definition of burden from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of burden

burden
Health care officials and one patient also spoke at the hearing about the burdens these price increases have had on patients and hospitals.
From ABC News
Its debt burden will continue to swell to 166 percent in 2012 without policy changes, according to the commission.
From Bloomberg
Based on the evidence at trial, we believe that the plaintiffs have not met their burden of proof on gross negligence.
From NOLA.com
By 2012, the nation will hold more than $1 trillion of this inescapable debt, with the average graduate's burden at $24,000.
From Huffington Post
And most teachers carry that burden, and they shoulder it well.
From NPR
Still, retailers have the dilemma in choosing whether to take the burden upon themselves or charge customers the new tax.
From International Business Times
They can't just say they're going to do this or that and just throw the rest of the burden on the cities.
From NJ.com
Student-loan burdens from for-profit colleges tend to be very high, and come with shady collection methods and a degree of dubious long-term value.
From Huffington Post
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with burden

burden

These are words often used in combination with burden.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

added burden
However, on the margins, where older people did live alone and had the added burden of disability or frailty, circumstances were difficult.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
additional burden
These outcomes would all constitute additional burden in general practice.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
administrative burden
Monitoring is consigned to institution heads, which invites an almost unrealistic administrative burden.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with burden
What is the pronunciation of burden?
 

Translations of burden

in Chinese (Traditional)
負荷，重負, 負擔，重擔, 煩擾…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
负荷，重负, 负担，重担, 烦扰…
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in Spanish
carga, cargar, carga [feminine]…
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in Portuguese
obrigação, estorvo, fardo…
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in Telugu
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in Italian
ओझे…
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（精神的な）重荷, 負担, ～に負担をかける…
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ağır, yük, sorumluluk…
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fardeau [masculine], charge [feminine], accabler…
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càrrega, pes, carregar…
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last, druk, vracht…
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நீங்கள் சுமக்கும் ஒரு கனமான சுமை, நீங்கள் சமாளிக்க அல்லது கவலைப்பட வேண்டிய கடினமான அல்லது விரும்பத்தகாத ஒன்று…
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बोझ, मुश्किल या अप्रिय चीज़…
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ભાર, બોજ…
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byrde, bebyrde…
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börda, last, betunga…
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beban cukai, beban, membebani…
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die Bürde, die Last, belasten…
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byrde [masculine], bør [masculine], bebyrde…
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بوجھ, مشکل صورت حال جو بوجھ محسوس ہوتی ہے…
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тягар, вага, ноша…
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обуза…
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భారం, మీరు వ్యవహరించాల్సిన లేక ఆందోళన చెందాల్సిన కష్టమైన లేక అసహ్యకరమైన ఏదో…
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عِبء, يُثقِل عَلى…
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ভার, বোঝা…
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břímě, tíha, břemeno…
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beban, membebankan…
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ภาระ, สิ่งที่ต้องแบกขึ้นเขา, รับภาระ…
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gánh nặng (thuế), gánh nặng, đè nặng lên…
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ciężar, brzemię, obciążyć…
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짐, 짐을 지우다…
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peso, caricare, oberare…
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Burberry
burble
burbled
burbling
burden
burden someone with something
burdened
burdening
burdensome

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gyroscopically

UK
/ˌdʒaɪ.rəˈskɒp.ɪ.kəl.i/
US
/ˌdʒaɪ.rəˈskɑː.pɪ.kəl.i/

with the use of a gyroscope (= a device containing a wheel that spins freely within a frame, used on aircraft, ships, etc. to help keep them horizontal)

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