WordWeb Online

1. An onerous or difficult concern
   "the burden of responsibility";
   - load, encumbrance, incumbrance, onus
    
2. Weight to be borne or conveyed
   - load, loading
    
3. The central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
   - effect, essence, core, gist
    
4. The central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse

1. Add a heavy load; increase the weight of a load
   - burthen, weight, weight down
    
2. Impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to
   "He burdened her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend";
   - charge, saddle, lumber [Brit, informal]

Derived forms: burdens, burdening, burdened

Type of: charge, command, concern, headache, idea, import, meaning, require, significance, signification, thought, vexation, weight, worry

Encyclopedia: Burden, Luxembourg