burden
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bur·den
(bûr′dn)n.
1. Something that is carried.
2.
a. Something that is emotionally difficult to bear.
b. A source of great worry or stress; weight: The burden of economic sacrifice rests on the workers of the plant.
3. A responsibility or duty: The burden of organizing the campaign fell to me.
4. A principal or recurring idea; a theme: "The burden of what he said was to defend enthusiastically the conservative aristocracy" (J.A. Froude).
5. Music
a. A drone, as of a bagpipe or pedal point.
b. Archaic The chorus or refrain of a composition.
c. Archaic The bass accompaniment to a song.
6. Nautical
a. The amount of cargo that a vessel can carry.
b. The weight of the cargo carried by a vessel at one time.
7. The amount of a disease-causing entity present in an organism.
tr.v. bur·dened, bur·den·ing, bur·dens
1. To cause difficulty or distress to; distress or oppress.
2. To load or overload.
[Middle English, from Old English byrthen; see bher- in Indo-European roots. Noun, senses 4 and 5, influenced by bourdon.]
Synonyms: burden, affliction, albatross, cross, millstone, trial, tribulation
These nouns denote something onerous or troublesome: the burden of a guilty conscience; considered the television an affliction that destroyed the spirit of community; a poorly built home that became his albatross; an unhappy marriage that became a cross to bear; a routine duty that turned into a millstone; a troublemaker who is a trial to the teacher; suffered many tribulations in rising from poverty. See Also Synonyms at substance.
These nouns denote something onerous or troublesome: the burden of a guilty conscience; considered the television an affliction that destroyed the spirit of community; a poorly built home that became his albatross; an unhappy marriage that became a cross to bear; a routine duty that turned into a millstone; a troublemaker who is a trial to the teacher; suffered many tribulations in rising from poverty. See Also Synonyms at substance.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
burden
(ˈbɜːdən)n
1. something that is carried; load
2. something that is exacting, oppressive, or difficult to bear: the burden of responsibility.
3. (Nautical Terms) nautical
a. the cargo capacity of a ship
b. the weight of a ship's cargo
vb (tr)
4. (sometimes foll by up) to put or impose a burden on; load
5. to weigh down; oppress: the old woman was burdened with cares.
[Old English byrthen; related to beran to bear1, Old Frisian berthene burden, Old High German burdin]
burden
(ˈbɜːdən)n
1. (Music, other) a line of words recurring at the end of each verse of a ballad or similar song; chorus or refrain
2. (Rhetoric) the principal or recurrent theme of a speech, book, etc
3. (Music, other) another word for bourdon
[C16: from Old French bourdon bass horn, droning sound, of imitative origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bur•den1
(ˈbɜr dn)n.
1. that which is carried; load.
2. that which is borne with difficulty; onus: the burden of leadership.
3.
v.t. a. the weight of a ship's cargo.
b. the carrying capacity of a ship.
5. to load heavily.
6. to load oppressively; trouble.
[before 1000; Middle English, variant of burthen, Old English byrthen]
bur•den2
(ˈbɜr dn)n.
1. an often repeated main point, message, or idea.
2. a musical refrain; chorus.
[1275–1325; Middle English bordoun, burdoun < Old French bourdon droning sound, instrument making such a sound]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
burden
, refrain, chorus - The burden is the main theme or gist of a speech, book, or argument—or the refrain or chorus of a song.See also related terms for refrain.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Burden
a fixed quantity of a commodity; a heavy load; the chorus of a song. See also charge, load, trust.Examples: burden of armour, 1595; of brass [debts], 1601; of corn, 1523; of despair, 1812; of gold, 1440; of rushes, 1560; of sin, 1303; of sorrows, 1374; of steel [120 lb.]; of thorns, 1449; of verse, 1598; of weeds, 1527.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Burden
albatross around the neck Burden, weight; any inhibiting encumbrance. In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798), the slayer of the albatross—a bird of good omen to sailors—was punished by having the dead bird hung about his neck. Though within the context of the poem the dead albatross symbolizes guilt and punishment for sin, its contemporary use rarely carries this connotation. Often an albatross around one’s neck is no more than a burdensome annoyance, a “drag” that inhibits one’s freedom or lessens one’s pleasure.
ball and chain A wife; one’s girl friend or mistress; any person perceived as a burden or hindrance. This figurative meaning of ball and chain is derived from the iron ball which is secured by a chain to the leg of a prisoner in order to prevent escape. Insofar as having a wife inhibits one’s freedom, this slang expression is apt
He deliberately attempted to commit suicide by askin’ me “How’s the ball and chain?” meanin’ my wife. (Collier’s, June 25, 1921)
cross to bear A painful burden or affliction; an oppressive encumbrance. The expression derives from the heavy cross which Jesus was forced to carry up Mount Calvary, and upon which he was subsequently crucified. Though the phrase most often applies to serious illness, pain, or handicaps, it is frequently extended to include any bothersome annoyance, any unpleasant person or circumstance that must be endured.
a millstone around the neck A heavy burden, an onus, a cross. A millstone is either of a pair of round, weighty stones between which grain and other like materials are ground in a mill.
The mill-stone intended for the necks of those vermin … the dealers in corn, was found to fall upon the heads of the consumers. (Jeremy Bentham, Defence of Usury, 1787)
The metaphor is said to have been suggested by the Biblical passage (Matthew 18:6) in which Jesus warns those who would corrupt the pure and humble nature of children:
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
a monkey on one’s back A depressing, often controlling burden; a cross to bear; an addiction or dependence. This phrase may be a variation of the obsolete a turkey on one’s back, but the implication remains the same: an addict carries an extra burden, one demanding a large, if not total, commitment of time, effort, and money to support.
Having a monkey on your back … always worked out logically to be the first purpose in a junkie’s life. (E. R. Johnson, God Keepers, 1970)
white elephant An unwanted or useless possession that is difficult to dispose of; a possession that costs more to keep and maintain than it is worth. This expression probably alludes to the albino elephants which were once considered sacred in Siam (now Thailand). Since an elephant of any color is inconvenient and expensive to own, it was purportedly a custom for a king to bestow one of these unique white elephants as a gift upon a courtier or other person whom he wished to subject to financial ruin. In the United States, tag sales, garage sales, and rummage sales are often appropriately nicknamed white elephant sales.
Picturesque Expressions: A Thematic Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1980 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
burden
Past participle: burdened
Gerund: burdening
| Imperative |
|---|
| burden |
| burden |
| Present |
|---|
| I burden |
| you burden |
| he/she/it burdens |
| we burden |
| you burden |
| they burden |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I burdened |
| you burdened |
| he/she/it burdened |
| we burdened |
| you burdened |
| they burdened |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am burdening |
| you are burdening |
| he/she/it is burdening |
| we are burdening |
| you are burdening |
| they are burdening |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have burdened |
| you have burdened |
| he/she/it has burdened |
| we have burdened |
| you have burdened |
| they have burdened |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was burdening |
| you were burdening |
| he/she/it was burdening |
| we were burdening |
| you were burdening |
| they were burdening |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had burdened |
| you had burdened |
| he/she/it had burdened |
| we had burdened |
| you had burdened |
| they had burdened |
| Future |
|---|
| I will burden |
| you will burden |
| he/she/it will burden |
| we will burden |
| you will burden |
| they will burden |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have burdened |
| you will have burdened |
| he/she/it will have burdened |
| we will have burdened |
| you will have burdened |
| they will have burdened |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be burdening |
| you will be burdening |
| he/she/it will be burdening |
| we will be burdening |
| you will be burdening |
| they will be burdening |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been burdening |
| you have been burdening |
| he/she/it has been burdening |
| we have been burdening |
| you have been burdening |
| they have been burdening |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been burdening |
| you will have been burdening |
| he/she/it will have been burdening |
| we will have been burdening |
| you will have been burdening |
| they will have been burdening |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been burdening |
| you had been burdening |
| he/she/it had been burdening |
| we had been burdening |
| you had been burdening |
| they had been burdening |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would burden |
| you would burden |
| he/she/it would burden |
| we would burden |
| you would burden |
| they would burden |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have burdened |
| you would have burdened |
| he/she/it would have burdened |
| we would have burdened |
| you would have burdened |
| they would have burdened |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun 1. [画像:burden - an onerous or difficult concern]burden - an onerous or difficult concern; "the burden of responsibility"; "that's a load off my mind"
headache, worry, vexation, concern - something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness; "New York traffic is a constant concern"; "it's a major worry"
dead weight - an oppressive encumbrance
fardel - a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle)
imposition - an uncalled-for burden; "he listened but resented the imposition"
pill - something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured; "his competitor's success was a bitter pill to take"
2. [画像:burden - weight to be borne or conveyed]burden - weight to be borne or conveyed
burthen - a variant of `burden'
dead load - a constant load on a structure (e.g. a bridge) due to the weight of the supported structure itself
millstone - any load that is difficult to carry
overburden, overload - an excessive burden
overload - an electrical load that exceeds the available electrical power
weight - an artifact that is heavy
3. burden - the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
meaning, signification, import, significance - the message that is intended or expressed or signified; "what is the meaning of this sentence"; "the significance of a red traffic light"; "the signification of Chinese characters"; "the import of his announcement was ambiguous"
4. burden - the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse
Verb 1. [画像:burden - weight down with a load]burden - weight down with a load
overburden - load with excessive weight
plumb - weight with lead
charge - fill or load to capacity; "charge the wagon with hay"
saddle - load or burden; encumber; "he saddled me with that heavy responsibility"
2. burden - impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to; "He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend"
overburden - burden with too much work or responsibility
bear down - exert a force or cause a strain upon; "This tax bears down on the lower middle flood+out">flood out, overwhelm, deluge - charge someone with too many tasks
adjure - command solemnly
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
burden
noun
1. trouble, care, worry, trial, weight, responsibility, stress, strain, anxiety, sorrow, grievance, affliction, onus, albatross, millstone, encumbrance Her illness will be an impossible burden on him.
2. load, weight, pack, bundle, cargo, freight, bale, consignment, encumbrance, charge She heaved her burden into the back.
verb
1. weigh down, worry, load, tax, strain, bother, overwhelm, handicap, oppress, inconvenience, overload, saddle with, encumber, trammel, incommode We decided not to burden him with the news.
Related words
adjective onerous
adjective onerous
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
burden 1
noun2. Something hard to bear physically or emotionally:
3. A duty or responsibility that is a source of anxiety, worry, or hardship:
Informal: headache.
4. An act or course of action that is demanded of one, as by position, custom, law, or religion:
burden 2
noun1. The thread or current of thought uniting or occurring in all the elements of a text or discourse:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
حملحِمْلٌعِب ءعبءعِبْء
břemenobříměobtěžovattíhazatěžovat
byrdebebyrde
taakkavastuukuormakuormata
teret
teher
byrîiíòyngja
荷物
짐
apkrautiapsunkintinašta
apgrūtinātkravanastanastu nesējs dzīvnieksslogs
bremeno
tovor
börda
ภาระ
gánh nặng
burden
[ˈbɜːdn]A. N
2. (fig) [of taxes, years] → peso m, carga f
the burden of proof lies with him → él lleva la carga de la prueba
to be a burden to sb → ser una carga para algn
he carries a heavy burden → tiene que cargar con una gran responsabilidad
to make sb's life a burden → amargar la vida a algn
the burden of proof lies with him → él lleva la carga de la prueba
to be a burden to sb → ser una carga para algn
he carries a heavy burden → tiene que cargar con una gran responsabilidad
to make sb's life a burden → amargar la vida a algn
3. (Naut) → arqueo m
5. (= chorus) [of song] → estribillo m
B. VT → cargar (with con) to be burdened with → tener que cargar con
don't burden me with your troubles → no me vengas con tus problemas
don't burden me with your troubles → no me vengas con tus problemas
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
burden
[ˈbɜːrdən] n
vt
to burden sb with sth [+ problem, news] → accabler qn de qch
to burden sb with sth [+ problem, news] → accabler qn de qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
burden
1n
(lit) → Last f; it puts too much of a burden on him/the engine → das überlastet ihn/den Motor ; beast of burden → Lasttier nt
(fig) → Belastung f → (on, to für); he has such a burden of responsibility → er hat eine schwere Last an Verantwortung zu tragen ; burden of taxation → steuerliche Belastung, Steuerlast f; I don’t want to be a burden to you → ich möchte Ihnen nicht zur Last fallen ; the burden of proof is on him → er muss den Beweis dafür erbringen or liefern ; (Jur) → er trägt die Beweislast
(Naut) → Tragfähigkeit f, → Tragkraft f
burden
2n
(of speech, essay etc) → Grundgedanke m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
burden
[ˈbɜːdn]Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
burden
(ˈbəːdn) noun1. something to be carried. He carried a heavy burden up the hill; The ox is sometimes a beast of burden (= an animal that carries things). las, vrag حِمْلٌ товар fardo břemeno die Last byrde φορτίο carga kandam بار؛ محموله taakka fardeau משא बोझ teret teher beban byrði carico, soma 荷 짐 našta nastu nesējs dzīvnieks beban last, vracht bør, byrde, last ciężar بار fardo povară ноша, тяжесть bremeno tovor teret börda, last สิ่งที่ต้องแบกขึ้นเขา yük 擔子 вага; ноша بوجھ، وزن ، بار gánh nặng 担子
2. something difficult to carry or withstand. the burden of taxation. las عِب ء бреме fardo břímě, tíha die Bürde byrde βάρος, άχθος carga koorem بار غصه یا مسئولیت taakka poids écrasant נטל बोझ opterećenje teher beban byrði fardello, carico 重荷 부담 našta slogs; nasta beban cukai last, druk byrde brzemię دغصی یا مسوولیت بار fardo sarcină бремя bremeno, ťarcha breme teret börda ภาระ yük 重擔 тягар ناگوار چیز gánh nặng (thuế) 负担
verb to put a responsibility etc on (someone). burdened with cares. belas يُثْقِلُ عَلى، يُرْهِقُ товаря sobrecarregar zatěžovat, obtěžovat belasten bebyrde φορτώνω, επιβαρύνω με cargar a alguien koormama بار مسئولیتی بر دوش کسی نهادن sälyttää vastuu charger de לְהַעֲמִיס עַל लादना opteretiti megterhel membebankan íþyngja caricare 重荷を負わせる 부담을 지우다 apsunkinti, apkrauti uzkraut; apgrūtināt; uzvelt nastu membebani belasten tynge på, legge byrde på obciążyć چا باندی د مسوولیت بار ایښودل sobrecarregar a împovăra (cu) обременять zaťažiť obremeniti, naprtiti opteretiti betunga รับภาระ ağır yük altına sokmak, yüklemek 賦予重任 обтяжувати ذمہ داری ڈالنا đè nặng lên 使负重担
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
burden
→ عِبْء břemeno byrde Last φορτίο carga taakka fardeau teret fardello 荷物 짐 last byrde ciężar carga обуза börda ภาระ yük gánh nặng 负担Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
bur·den
vt. agobiar;
vr. agobiarse.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
burden
n carga; tumor — carga tumoralEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.