BURDEN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does burden mean? 

• BURDEN (noun)
  The noun BURDEN has 4 senses:

1. an onerous or difficult concern

2. weight to be borne or conveyed

3. the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

4. the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse

  Familiarity information: BURDEN used as a noun is uncommon.

• BURDEN (verb)
  The verb BURDEN has 2 senses:

1. weight down with a load

2. impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to

  Familiarity information: BURDEN used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BURDEN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An onerous or difficult concern

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

burden; encumbrance; incumbrance; load; onus

Context example:

that's a load off my mind

Hypernyms ("burden" is a kind of...):

concern; headache; vexation; worry (something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "burden"):

imposition (an uncalled-for burden)

pill (something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured)

fardel (a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle))

dead weight (an oppressive encumbrance)

Derivation:

burden (impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Weight to be borne or conveyed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

burden; load; loading

Hypernyms ("burden" is a kind of...):

weight (an artifact that is heavy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "burden"):

dead load (a constant load on a structure (e.g. a bridge) due to the weight of the supported structure itself)

live load; superload (a variable load on a structure (e.g. a bridge) such as moving traffic)

millstone (any load that is difficult to carry)

overburden; overload (an excessive burden)

overload (an electrical load that exceeds the available electrical power)

burthen (a variant of 'burden')

Derivation:

burden (weight down with a load)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

burden; core; effect; essence; gist

Hypernyms ("burden" is a kind of...):

import; meaning; significance; signification (the message that is intended or expressed or signified)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("burden" is a kind of...):

idea; thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about)

• BURDEN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they burden    ... he / she / it burdens   
Past simple: burdened   
Past participle: burdened   
-ing form: burdening   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Weight down with a load

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

burden; burthen; weight; weight down

Hypernyms (to "burden" is one way to...):

charge (fill or load to capacity)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "burden"):

overburden (load with excessive weight)

plumb (weight with lead)

saddle (load or burden; encumber)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something with something

Antonym:

unburden (take the burden off; remove the burden from)

Derivation:

burden (weight to be borne or conveyed)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

burden; charge; saddle

Context example:

He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend

Hypernyms (to "burden" is one way to...):

command; require (make someone do something)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "burden"):

overburden (burden with too much work or responsibility)

bear down (exert a force or cause a strain upon)

deluge; flood out; overwhelm (charge someone with too many tasks)

adjure (command solemnly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody with something

Derivation:

burden (an onerous or difficult concern)

 Context examples 

The Wolbachia method can help developing countries reduce disease burden, especially when used in conjunction with conventional control methods, like mosquito source reduction, insecticides or vaccination.

(Bacteria-infected mosquitoes slash dengue cases, SciDev.Net)

The health burden of mould has been well studied in Europe, with evidence that exposure is linked with a higher risk of asthma, wheezing and allergic reactions.

(Smoother walls healthier for lungs, SciDev.Net)

"We show that we all carry genetic variants for depression, but those with a higher burden are more susceptible," Wray said.

(Forty-Four Genomic Variants Linked to Major Depression, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The giant, after he had dragged the heavy burden part of the way, could go no further, and cried: “Hark you, I shall have to let the tree fall!”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

By what I could discover, the Yahoos appear to be the most unteachable of all animals: their capacity never reaching higher than to draw or carry burdens.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The major cardiometabolic diseases—heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes—pose substantial health and economic burdens on society.

(How dietary factors influence disease risk, NIH)

Even though the sample was small, this study demonstrated the negative effect of sleep deprivation on beta-amyloid burden in the human brain.

(Lack of sleep may be linked to risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, National Institutes of Health)

A rise in diabetes and obesity is increasing the global burden of kidney disease, with millions of people in lower income countries lacking access to life-saving treatment.

(Managing diabetes key to lowering kidney disease, SciDev.Net)

“We were also noticing a heavy burden of asthma in inner city minority children. It seemed as though vitamin D deficiency and asthma were coincident and interacting in some way.”

(Vitamin D may protect against pollution-associated asthma symptoms in obese children, National Institutes of Health)

The development of new therapies for treating inflammatory diseases could greatly reduce the growing health burden.

(Natural protein points to new inflammation treatment, NIH)