overburden
/ˌoʊvərˈbɜːrdən/
verb
- To give someone or something too much work, responsibility, or weight.
- The manager worried that the new project would overburden her already busy team.
- If we overburden the volunteers, they might quit.
- Please don't overburden the washing machine with too many clothes.
noun
- A heavy load or too much responsibility.
- The overburden of debt made it hard for the family to save money.
- The truck collapsed under the overburden of rocks.
- She felt an emotional overburden from caring for both her children and her parents.
- In mining, the layer of soil and rock that lies above a mineral deposit.
- The miners first removed the overburden to reach the coal seam.
- Heavy machinery is used to clear the overburden at the construction site.
- The company studied the overburden to assess the cost of mining.