A burden is a heavy load. It literally refers to a physical load such as a work animal would carry. The term "burden" also has several figurative meanings:
* A burden can refer to a difficult duty or important responsibility that a person has to do. He is said to be "bearing" or "carrying" a "heavy burden."
* A cruel leader may put difficult burdens on the people he is ruling, for example by forcing them to pay large amounts of taxes.