OVERBURDEN
Dictionary entry overview: What does overburden mean?
• OVERBURDEN (noun)
The noun OVERBURDEN has 2 senses:
1. the surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits
2. an excessive burden
Familiarity information: OVERBURDEN used as a noun is rare.
• OVERBURDEN (verb)
The verb OVERBURDEN has 2 senses:
1. burden with too much work or responsibility
2. load with excessive weight
Familiarity information: OVERBURDEN used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• OVERBURDEN (noun)
Meaning:
The surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Hypernyms ("overburden" is a kind of...):
ground; land; soil (material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use))
Meaning:
An excessive burden
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
overburden; overload
Hypernyms ("overburden" is a kind of...):
burden; load; loading (weight to be borne or conveyed)
• OVERBURDEN (verb)
Meaning:
Burden with too much work or responsibility
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "overburden" is one way to...):
burden; charge; saddle (impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody with something
Meaning:
Load with excessive weight
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "overburden" is one way to...):
burden; burthen; weight; weight down (weight down with a load)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
