encumbrance
/ɛnˈkʌmbrəns/
noun
- A burden or hindrance that makes it difficult to do something or to move freely.
- The heavy backpack was an encumbrance during the long hike up the mountain.
- Outdated regulations have become an encumbrance to small business growth.
- She saw her shyness as an encumbrance in her new sales job.
- A legal claim or liability attached to a property, such as a mortgage or lien.
- Before buying the house, we checked for any encumbrance like unpaid taxes.
- A title search revealed an encumbrance from a previous owner's debt.
- The bank placed an encumbrance on the land until the loan was fully repaid.