Basic+ Word of the Day: burden

burden (noun, verb) past tense: burdened

A burden is something that is carried; a load.

• The strong man carried the burden as if it weighed nothing.
• The donkey moved slowly because of the heavy burden on its back.

A burden is also something that is difficult to deal with.

• The burden of supporting a family was difficult when the father lost his job.
• The burden of his childhood memories made it hard to sleep at night.

To burden means ‘to worry or cause trouble.’

• Sorry to burden you with my problems.

Common uses

beast of burden: an animal like a donkey or a mule, that carries loads. Example: “The beast of burden carried water and rice to the remote village.”

In pop culture

Watch the Rolling Stones perform their hit “Beast of Burden.”

In the movie Beast of Burden, Daniel Radcliffe plays a mule (a drug dealer) who has problems delivering his drugs. This could mean trouble! Watch the trailer.

There are other meanings of burden.