Synonyms
Examples of burden in a Sentence
Luke McGee, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Only about 27% of taxpayers believe their federal income taxes are fair, with 60% believing their burden is too high, AP-NORC found.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
And, the burden of change is often placed on Black women, according to Mair.
—Essence, 9 Apr. 2024
Many Parisians will be out of town, easing the burden on the city’s antiquated transportation system during an event expected to attract 10 million visitors.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
So, what can older adults and family caregivers do to ease the burdens of health care?
—Judith Graham, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Both California and Florida, among other states, have made changes to ease burdens on insurers.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
There’s also a point at which over-regulation within one city or some cities in California creates a burden on the rest of us.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
In this scenario, prioritizing debt repayment is essential, especially targeting high-interest debt to reduce the overall financial burden.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The rule advances President Joe Biden’s commitment to environmental justice by delivering critical health protections for communities burdened by industrial pollution from ethylene oxide, chloroprene and other dangerous chemicals, officials said.
—Matthew Daly, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
And people who are especially burdened with other expenses — such as high medical debt or child care — could apply to have their student loans forgiven.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Holewinski asked during the meeting if the local school district would be burdened by students needing to complete their studies while staying at the center.
—Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
To survive judicial review, the government must show that the ban furthers an important government interest unrelated to speech, and does not burden significantly more speech than necessary to further that interest.
—Daniel Lyons, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The new emissions limits will bring immediate health benefits, especially in communities burdened by heavy truck traffic, said Harold Wimmer, CEO of the American Lung Association.
—Matthew Daly, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
People trying to bypass Baltimore will be inconvenienced, and people who live there will be unnecessarily burdened, but there will also be workarounds and adaptation.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
According to a 2022 Broward County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, 62% of Broward renters were cost burdened, meaning more than 30% of their income was going toward their rent.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (1) and Verb
Middle English, from Old English byrthen; akin to Old English beran to carry — more at bear
Noun (2)
Middle English burdoun, from Anglo-French burdun a drone bass, of imitative origin
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1541, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing burden
Dictionary Entries Near burden
Cite this Entry
“Burden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burden. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
burden
2 of 2 nounNoun
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
Legal Definition
burden
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on burden
Nglish: Translation of burden for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of burden for Arabic Speakers
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