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Synonyms

overburden

American  
[oh-ver-bur-dn, oh-ver-bur-dn] / ˌoʊ vərˈbɜr dn, ˈoʊ vərˌbɜr dn /

verb (used with object)

  1. to load with too great a burden; overload.

    He was overburdened with cares.

noun

  1. an excessive burden.

  2. Also called burden, capping.  Mining. waste earth and rock covering a mineral deposit.

overburden British  

verb

  1. (tr) to load with excessive weight, work, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an excessive burden or load

  2. geology the sedimentary rock material that covers coal seams, mineral veins, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • overburdensome adjective

Etymology

Origin of overburden

First recorded in 1570–80; over- + burden 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.