encumber

verb

en·​cum·​ber in-ˈkəm-bər How to pronounce encumber (audio)
encumbered; encumbering in-ˈkəm-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce encumber (audio)

transitive verb

1
: weigh down, burden
tourists encumbered by heavy luggage
2
: to impede or hamper the function or activity of : hinder
negotiations encumbered by a lack of trust
3
: to burden with a legal claim (such as a mortgage)
encumber an estate

Did you know?

Encumber Has French Roots

In Old French, the noun combre meant a defensive obstacle formed by felled trees with sharpened branches facing the enemy. Later, in Middle French, combre referred to a barrier, similar to a dam or weir, constructed in the bed of a river to hold back fish or protect the banks. That notion of holding back is what informs our verb encumber. One can be physically encumbered (as by a heavy load or severe weather) or figuratively (as by bureaucratic restrictions). Combre also gives us the adjectives cumbersome and cumbrous, both meaning "awkward or difficult to handle."

Examples of encumber in a Sentence

These rules will only encumber the people we're trying to help. Lack of funding has encumbered the project.
Recent Examples on the Web There’re points in the game where the addition of details — both old and new — becomes encumbering. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 One man told us to embrace a kind of youthful workaholism, before we became encumbered by kids and families. Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2024 Digging deeper, the review panel determined that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the Psyche mission, was encumbered by staffing and workforce problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 11 July 2023 Following the success of The Eras Tour, Kamen has said Radical has been rethinking release strategies for in-the-works productions, less encumbered by traditional means of distribution. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023 This would be an enormous undertaking for the UN, whose institutional capacity is already strained, encumbered by a rigid and complicated bureaucracy. Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2023 The suffrage movement gave women the confidence and skills to organize, demand change, and insist on inclusion, to slowly chip away at the customs and laws that kept them at home, their bodies encumbered by pounds of petticoats, their minds caged. Elaine Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019 But in fact there could have been nothing worse than to encumber himself with the obligation to form and control children. Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 10 Sep. 2023 Cross-border payments are still encumbered by slow processing times and expensive fees, with the real-time settlement capabilities of crypto presenting a possible solution. Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 26 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'encumber.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English encombren, from Anglo-French encumbrer, from en- + Middle French combre dam, weir

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of encumber was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near encumber

Cite this Entry

“Encumber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encumber. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

encumber

verb
en·​cum·​ber in-ˈkəm-bər How to pronounce encumber (audio)
encumbered; encumbering -b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce encumber (audio)
1
: to place an excessive burden on
2
: to make problems for the work or activity of

Legal Definition

encumber

transitive verb
en·​cum·​ber
variants also incumber
in-ˈkəm-bər
encumbered; encumbering
: to burden with a claim (as a mortgage or lien)
encumbered the land with a mineral lease

More from Merriam-Webster on encumber

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