burden with debt

Meaning

This phrase means to weigh someone or something down with heavy financial obligations that are difficult to pay off. It is commonly used in discussions about personal finance, student loans, or national economies. It can be used in the active voice (e.g., 'burden someone with debt') or, more frequently, in the passive voice (e.g., 'be burdened with debt').

Examples

• Many college graduates are burdened with debt before they even land their first job.

  Many college graduates are burdened with debt before they even land their first job.

• Buying that luxury car will only burden you with debt you cannot afford.

  Buying that luxury car will only burden you with debt you cannot afford.

• The previous administration's spending ended up burdening the city with debt for decades.

  The previous administration's spending ended up burdening the city with debt for decades.

• She didn't want to burden her children with debt, so she planned her retirement carefully.

  She didn't want to burden her children with debt, so she planned her retirement carefully.

• Small businesses are often burdened with debt during their first few years of operation.

  Small businesses are often burdened with debt during their first few years of operation.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He is burdened by a huge debt.

  ✓ He is burdened with a huge debt.

  While 'burdened by' is sometimes used for abstract worries, 'burdened with' is the standard collocation when referring to actual financial debt.

• ✗ The bank burdened him of debt.

  ✓ The bank burdened him with debt.

  The verb 'burden' takes the preposition 'with', not 'of'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The war left the nation deeply ___.

  💡 Weighed down by financial obligations.

  Show answer

  burdened with debt

• To ___ a young business is a recipe for failure.

  💡 To weigh a business down with financial liabilities.

  Show answer

  burden with debt