From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishburdenbur‧den1 /ˈbɜːdn $ ˈbɜːrdn/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable]RESPONSIBLE something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for His family responsibilities had started to become a burden.burden of The burden of taxation has risen considerably.burden on I don’t like being a burden on other people.bear/carry the burden If things go wrong he will bear the burden of guilt.the tax/financial/debt burden2 → the burden of proof3 CARRY[countable] something that is carried SYN load → beast of burdenCOLLOCATIONSverbsbear/carry/shoulder the burden (=be responsible for something)At the age of 16, Suzy bore the burden of providing for her family.place/put a burden on somebodyThis situation places the main burden of family care on women.share the burdenI was glad my brother was there to share the burden.ease/reduce/lighten the burdenSmaller classes would ease the burden for teachers.shift the burden (=change who carries it)The tax shifts the burden towards the rich.a burden falls on somebodyThe tax burden falls most heavily upon the poorest people.lift the burden from somebody's shouldersIf I deal with the all the practical problems, that will lift the burden from your shoulders.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + burden a heavy/great burdenCaring for elderly relatives can be a heavy burden.a financial burdenthe financial burden of a large mortgagea tax burdenThese changes will ease the tax burden for small businesses.a debt burdenHe made a serious attempt ease the country's debt burden.an intolerable burden (=very hard to bear)Too many exams can place an intolerable burden on young people.an unfair/undue burdenThe new legislation put an unfair burden on employers.phrasesthe burden of responsibilityHe felt unable to cope with the burden of responsibility.the burden of taxationThe burden of taxation falls more heavily on the poor.
Examples from the Corpus
burden• Running the business on my own can be a burden at times.• I don't want to be a burden to my children when I'm old.• A burden on even the sunniest temperaments, never mind those suffering from inordinate melancholia.• It is women who have traditionally borne the daily burden of caring for ill parents, children, relatives and friends.• She has three children and heavy financial burdens at home.• Wives bore a greater burden in dealing with these daily difficulties than did their preoccupied husbands.• After his attentions she supposed he would propose marriage and relieve her of the odious burden of Rushworth.• We need to reduce the tax burden of middle-income Americans.• But they bore the burden anyway.• Carrying the burdens of leadership is never an easy task.• Non-domestic rates are also regressive but various measures have sought to ease the burden.• The minister has the burden of explaining why he must raise taxes.• She added, by way of conversation, that she must wait patiently to be relieved of the burden of living.• Coupled with the financial implications if carers decided they could no longer shoulder this burden the case for supporting respite care becomes overwhelming.burdenburden2 verb 1 → be burdened with/by something2 → be burdened with something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
burden• I did not burden him, though he seemed to feel burdened.• Richard was riding towards her and he seemed weighted down as well, as if his armour burdened him.• Heavy public spending burdened its economy.• An excellent means of putting money in the pockets of the poor without burdening taxpayers.• The past does not burden the present - but you learn by it, and do not repeat your mistakes.• Clinton was initially burdened with a do-nothing fund-raiser, but quickly replaced him with a young whiz named Rahm Emanuel.• Reva Bergen trudged up the steep walk, burdened with grocery sacks.• I hate to burden you with this.From Longman Business Dictionaryburdenbur‧den /ˈbɜːdnˈbɜːrdn/ noun [countable]1something that causes people a lot of difficulty or worryIn less prosperous areas the taxes were, for many, such a burden that they lived in poverty.2particular costs such as taxes or interest payments seen as a problem, especially when they are highthe burden of local rates that each company located in the area must payNew regulations can put a heavy cost burden on small businesses.The rise in the US tax burden (=the amount of tax that people and companies have to pay) has not been due to military spending, but to welfare.They want a $10,000 limit on deductions for state and local income taxes as a way to increase the tax burden on the rich.3LAW a duty that someone has legally or officially promised to doThe holder of the bill of lading would assume the burden (=take the responsibility) of becoming subject to contractual liabilities.Origin burden1 Old English byrthen 