burden
/'bə:dn/ Cách viết khác : (burthen) /'bə:ðən/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A heavy load: A physical weight that is carried.
- A difficult or oppressive duty, responsibility, or worry: Something that is emotionally or mentally hard to bear.
- The central theme or main idea: The principal topic or message expanded upon in a speech or piece of writing.
- The carrying capacity of a ship: The weight of cargo a ship can carry.
Verb:
- To load heavily: To put a heavy weight on someone or something.
- To cause difficulty or worry: To impose a troublesome duty, responsibility, or problem on someone.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The donkey struggled under the heavy burden. (Referring to a physical load.)
- Managing the family business became a great burden after his father's death. (Referring to a difficult responsibility.)
- The burden of the article was the need for environmental reform. (Referring to the central theme.)
- The ship's burden was 500 tons. (Referring to carrying capacity.)
Verb:
- They burdened the truck with too much cargo. (Referring to loading heavily.)
- She didn't want to burden her friends with her personal problems. (Referring to imposing worry.)
Advanced Usage
"Beast of burden": An animal used for carrying heavy loads.
- For centuries, camels have been used as beasts of burden in desert regions.
"The burden of proof": The obligation to prove one's assertion in a dispute.
- In a court of law, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.
"A burden off one's mind/shoulders": A relief from a worry or responsibility.
- Finishing the project was a burden off my shoulders.
Variants and Related Words
- Burdened (adj): Weighted down with a load or trouble.
- He looked burdened with care.
- Burdenless (adj): Without a burden.
- Burdensome (adj): Causing difficulty or hardship; oppressive.
- The administrative tasks were burdensome.
Synonyms
- Noun: Load, weight, onus, responsibility, duty, encumbrance, strain, core, theme, gist.
- Verb: Load, weigh down, encumber, saddle, tax, overwhelm.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
- To burden someone with something: To give someone a duty or problem that causes worry.
- He burdened his assistant with endless extra tasks.
Related Idioms
- "Shoulder the burden": To accept and bear a heavy responsibility.
- As the eldest, she had to shoulder the burden of caring for her siblings.
- "A burden shared is a burden halved": A problem becomes easier to bear if you talk about it with someone.
- Remember, a burden shared is a burden halved, so don't hesitate to talk to me.
Noun
- the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse
- the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
- weight to be borne or conveyed
- an onerous or difficult concern
- the burden of responsibility
- that's a load off my mind
Verb
- impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to
- He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend
- weight down with a load