Meaning

(transitive) To overload or overtax..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To overload or overtax.
2. (geology) The rock and subsoil that lies above a mineral deposit such as a coal seam, or any other underground feature.
3. (archaeology) A sterile stratum that lies above the stratum being investigated.

Example Sentences

In reality, the levels of work varied: some internationals seemed overburdened with tasks and responsibility, some seemed underburdened, and some faced apparently just the right amount of work.

He said the increase would avoid overburdening taxpayers who have subsidised the railways by £31 billion since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Before much progress was made with the inverts, however, the movement became accelerated, and it was decided to lighten the load over the tunnel by removing some of the soil, […]. This reduction in the overburden arrested the movement, and the inverting and centring were completed, and the tunnel opened again to traffic on April 9, 1949.

Such rocks have been changed by baking in a terrestrial pressure-cooker. Then they have been disinterred: kilometres of overburden must have been removed.

Settari (2002) and Osorio et al. (1999) also suggest that the analysis domain should include overburdens, sideburdens and underburdens for better accommodation of the coupling effects of stress changes and flow.

Word Forms

• overburdens
• overburdening
• overburdened
• overburthen

Synonyms for overburden

Related Words

When Should You Use Overburden?

Use overburden when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions