encumbrance

noun

en·​cum·​brance in-ˈkəm-brən(t)s 

1

: something that encumbers : impediment, burden

2

: a claim (such as a mortgage) against property

Synonyms of encumbrance

• obstacle
• hurdle
• obstruction
• embarrassment

Examples of encumbrance in a Sentence

without the encumbrance of a heavy backpack, I could sprint along the trail

Recent Examples on the Web

Stopping the train to nowhere funding, using those funds to pay off our federal EDD debt so that businesses can reduce THEIR EDD encumbrances by the 1-5% they’re being charged now. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026

According to the report, the district’s encumbrance clerk and superintendent secretary, Stacey Benard, issued fraudulent checks to herself totaling $9,621. —Beth Wallis, StateImpact, 19 Mar. 2026

The City of Boca Raton lost because the lease itself became the encumbrance. —Stacy Sipple, Sun Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2026

Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for encumbrance

• incumbrance

Kids Definition

encumbrance

noun

en·​cum·​brance in-ˈkəm-brən(t)s 

1

: something that encumbers : burden

2

: a legal claim (as a mortgage) against property

Legal Definition

encumbrance

noun

en·​cum·​brance

variants also incumbrance

in-ˈkəm-brəns

: a claim (as a lien) against property

specifically : an interest or right (as an easement or a lease) in real property that may diminish the value of the estate but does not prevent the conveyance of the estate

that these premises are free from all encumbrances