Definition of "encumber" [en•cum•ber]

• To put a heavy load on; burden: a hiker who was encumbered with a heavy pack; a life that has always been encumbered with responsibilities. (verb-transitive)
• To hinder or impede the action or performance of: restrictions that encumber police work. (verb-transitive)
• To burden with legal or financial obligations: an estate that is encumbered with debts. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Crumbles and breaks, th 'encumber'd lines must flow."
• "Unfortunately, the worldviews that dominated American politics throughout the 20th century now encumber the nation's attempts to solve the problems it faces in the 21st."
• "Spending cuts will further encumber the Navy's already withering fleet, which plays a central role in AirSea Battle."