n. 1
A heavy load.
n. 2
A responsibility, onus.
v. 1
To encumber with a burden.
to burden a nation with taxes
v. 2
To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden (something heavy or objectionable).

Related words

Word family: burdenless burdensome
Phrases: beast of burden burden basket burden of proof

Forms

Plural: burdens → loads, taxes, tasks, oppressions…
Past participle: burdened
e.g. burdened → weighted, burthened, charged, saddled…

Choose the right word

Burden, Byrthen or Beran?

A burden (from the Anglo-Saxon byrthen, from the verb beran, bear) is what one has to bear, and the word is used always of that which is borne by a living agent.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

tax Your contribution to the school is tax-deductible.
task The accomplishment of the task took several years.
load The load of the truck was in excess of three tons.
effect The new medicine demonstrated an immediate effect.
hardship They had to endure great hardship during the war.
catch How about playing catch in the vacant lot near by?

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
burden		steady
tax		falling
task		steady
load		falling
effect		falling
hardship		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: tax¹, pac¹
4 letters: care¹, task¹, pack¹, core¹, load¹, gist¹, onus², clog¹
5 letters: point¹, catch¹, topic², cargo²
6 letters: effect², weight¹, charge¹, chorus², sorrow², saddle², lading², charre
7 letters: trouble², loading², freight¹, essence², refrain², oppress², incubus, burthen
8 letters: capacity⁴, hardship², overload³, encumber³
9 letters: substance², grievance², surcharge²
10 letters: oppression³, imposition⁴, affliction³, impediment⁴
11 letters: encumbrance

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (onus² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: charge
Italiano: carico
Español: carga
Deutsch: Belastung
Català: càrrec