encumber
verb
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Definition of encumber
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Synonyms & Antonyms for encumber
Synonyms
clog, cramp, embarrass, fetter, hamper, handcuff, handicap, hinder, hobble, hog-tie, hold back, hold up, impede, inhibit, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle, short-circuit, stymie, tie up, trammel
Antonyms
aid, assist, facilitate, help
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Examples of encumber in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What can be derived from all this is that almost none of what made Joe Biden attractive to Barack Obama as a vice president in 2008 is likely to prove helpful to the candidate in 2020, and that much of it is likely to prove encumbering to him. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Joe Biden, Designated White Guy," 13 Aug. 2019 Vasco were well encumbered in the middle of the park during the infancy of Luiz's career, owing to the fact that Brazilian youth internationals Evander, Andrey and Mateus Vital, all played in that position. — SI.com, "Douglas Luiz: 6 Things to Know About the Manchester City Star Linked With Aston Villa," 12 July 2019 Those who do handle radioactive material must first don protective suits that are inherently cumbersome and are further encumbered by the air hoses needed to allow the wearer to breathe. — The Economist, "Cleaning up nuclear waste is an obvious task for robots," 20 June 2019 But governments and large aerospace companies, encumbered by lengthy planning processes, have been slower to pivot away from a focus on measuring methane emissions on a regional and global scale. — Jeremy Hsu, Scientific American, "Private Space Race Targets Greenhouse Gas Emitters," 31 July 2019 It鈥檚 hard to see why the court would favor a scheme encumbering PG&E鈥檚 future revenues in order to protect existing shareholders over a plan that simply injects $18 billion of new equity. — Washington Post, "PG&E Needs New Money, Not New Obligations," 27 June 2019 They are also encumbered by structural issues, such as the entrenched interests of unions, bureaucracy and laws allowing voters to approve major decisions in ballot measures. — The Economist, "The futureTexas seems better placed to adapt than California," 22 June 2019 The labs, which are not encumbered by interior columns or walls, should be able to adapt to shifting research priorities. — Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, "Is Northwestern鈥檚 new medical research building a world-class structure? The building, and the answer, are incomplete.," 13 June 2019 Laptops and tablets may also be encumbered with the 25% import levy. — Mark Gurman, Fortune, "Trade War Be Damned, Apple Is Moving Its Mac Pro Production to China," 28 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'encumber.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for encumber
encumber
verb
English Language Learners Definition of encumber
See the full definition for encumber in the English Language Learners Dictionary
encumber
verb
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Kids Definition of encumber
encumber
transitive verb