burden
/ˈbɜːdn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɜːrdn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbər-dᵊn/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbɜː.dən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɝː.dən/ (ame, ipa)
burden — noun
1. a load so heavy that carrying it takes real effort.
a load so heavy that carrying it takes real effort.
Two donkeys carried the burden of salt up the mountain road.
burden of + noun
The porter moved the burden from one shoulder to the other.
move a burden from one shoulder to the other
By noon, the wet sack had become a burden for Hana.
On the narrow bridge, one extra box was a burden.
The burden on the mule's back bent the wooden frame.
- relief
used when weight is taken away and carrying becomes easier
文法句型
carry a burden
burden of + noun
burden on + body part/animal
用法筆記
Usually literal and physical. Distinguish from noun/2: this sense names an actual thing being carried, not a duty, cost, or worry.
常見錯誤
2. a duty, problem, or worry that puts lasting pressure on someone.
a duty, problem, or worry that puts lasting pressure on someone.
Student debt was a burden that stayed with Priya for years.
burden that + clause
High bus fares place a burden on poor families in winter.
burden on + person/group
After the fire, running the shop alone became a burden.
The secret was a burden Noa could not share with anyone.
Caring for both parents put a heavy burden on Diego.
- responsibility
can be neutral or positive; burden stresses difficulty
- load
often overlaps in figurative use, especially in everyday speech
- strain
focuses on the stress produced rather than the duty itself
- weight
suggests emotional pressure, especially in phrases like a weight on your mind
文法句型
a burden on + person/group
become a burden
put a burden on + person/group
用法筆記
Often followed by on in phrases like a burden on families, workers, or taxpayers. Distinguish from noun/1: this sense can be emotional, financial, or social, not something in your hands.
常見錯誤
burden — verb
1. to give someone a hard duty, cost, or worry that makes life more difficult.
to give someone a hard duty, cost, or worry that makes life more difficult.
The court would not burden one parent with every school cost.
burden someone with + noun
Small clinics are burdened with forms they barely have time to read.
passive: be burdened with + noun
Leila refused to burden her brother with the bad news.
Rising fees burden many students before classes even begin.
Farmers were burdened by fuel costs after the bridge collapse.
- impose on
emphasizes putting an unwanted duty on someone
- trouble
broader and less formal; can describe any kind of problem
- saddle
often used in the pattern saddle someone with something; stresses unfairness
- weigh down
more vivid and often more emotional in tone
文法句型
burden someone with + noun
be burdened with + noun
be burdened by + noun
用法筆記
Often appears in the passive with with or by. The object is usually a person or group, and the added thing is a duty, expense, or worry rather than a physical object.
常見錯誤
2. to put a heavy load on a person, animal, or thing so that moving becomes harder.
to put a heavy load on a person, animal, or thing so that moving becomes harder.
Workers burdened the truck with stone before sunrise.
burden something with + noun
Too many bags burdened the horse on the muddy track.
The roof was burdened with wet snow after midnight.
Fishermen burdened the small boat with three extra nets.
One thick coat burdened the child in the summer heat.
- load
the most direct everyday verb for putting weight on something
- weigh down
stresses the effect of extra weight
- overload
suggests adding more than is safe or proper
文法句型
burden something with + noun
be burdened with + noun
用法筆記
The object is usually an animal, vehicle, structure, or person carrying real weight. Distinguish from verb/1, which is about duties or worries rather than actual loads.