encumber

/ɛnˈkʌmbər/

/ɛnˈkʌmbə/

Other forms: encumbered; encumbering; encumbers

To encumber is to weigh someone or something down with a physical or psychological burden. You may find yourself encumbered by a heavy backpack or with anxieties. Either way, it's a heavy load to bear!

You can also use encumber to describe something that restricts you in some way: you're so encumbered by your homework load you can’t go to the concert Saturday night. The root, cumber, has several shades of meaning — including "to burden" and "to be overwhelmed."

Definitions of encumber

1. verb

   hold back
   synonyms: constrain, cumber, restrain

   types:

   bridle

   put a bridle on

   curb

   keep to the curb

   clog

   impede the motion of, as with a chain or a burden

   snaffle

   fit or restrain with a snaffle

   type of:

   bound, confine, limit, restrain, restrict, throttle, trammel

   place limits on (extent or access)