Burdens

/ˈbɜːrdənz/

nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase1 question

Definitions

1

A load, weight, or responsibility that is difficult to bear.

/ˈbɜːrdən/

nounnegativeBeginner
General

Something difficult or worrying to deal with.

The financial burdens of raising a family are significant.

💡 Simply: Something hard to carry or deal with.

More Examples

2

She felt the burden of responsibility for her younger siblings.

How It's Used

General

"The weight of the world was on her shoulders, a heavy burden to bear."

Psychology

"He carried the emotional burden of his family's problems for years."

Idioms & expressions

a heavy burden

A significant and difficult responsibility or problem.

"Running the business became a heavy burden on her."

From Old English *byrdene, from Proto-Germanic *burþan (cf. Old High German purta ‘burden’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bher- ‘to carry’.

The word 'burden' has been used since Old English times, often in a literal sense of a physical load, but it's now more commonly used metaphorically.

Memory tip

Think of a heavy BURDEN on a donkey's back.

Word Origin

Original meaning

"to carry"

heavy burdenshoulder the burdenbear the burden

Common misspellings

burdens'burdonsburdens`

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written