over·bur·den
ˌō-vər-ˈbər-dᵊn 
overburdened; overburdening; overburdens
: to place an excessive burden on
over·bur·den
ˈō-vər-ˌbər-dᵊn
: material overlying a deposit of useful geologic materials or bedrock
Examples of overburden in a Sentence
Verb
She overburdened me with work.
Why overburden yourself when people are offering to help?
Recent Examples on the Web
Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
After all the criticism, the skepticism, the downright sanctimony about the most controversial topic in New York sports — the exhausting, overburdening minutes — the Knicks lost a game, the narrative will go, because neither Hart nor Brunson played enough of crunch time.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Jazmine Denise Thompson, Essence, 22 Jan. 2025
The demand-resource mismatches of burnout, the operational drivers, are substantial and must be addressed: clumsy electronic medical records, understaffing, and administrative overburden, among others.
—Wendy Dean, STAT, 7 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for overburden
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Asha Sharma, state policy manager for Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability, said her organization uses CEQA to reduce the polluting effects of projects in neighborhoods already overburdened by environmental problems.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
After all the criticism, the skepticism, the downright sanctimony about the most controversial topic in New York sports — the exhausting, overburdening minutes — the Knicks lost a game, the narrative will go, because neither Hart nor Brunson played enough of crunch time.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
However, managing stress during those peak moments of overburden is not always intuitive.
—Jazmine Denise Thompson, Essence, 22 Jan. 2025
The demand-resource mismatches of burnout, the operational drivers, are substantial and must be addressed: clumsy electronic medical records, understaffing, and administrative overburden, among others.
—Wendy Dean, STAT, 7 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for overburden
Cite this Entry
“Overburden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overburden. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share