encumber: Meaning and Definition of
en•cum•ber
Pronunciation: (en-kum'bur), [key] — v.t.
- to impede or hinder; hamper; retard: Red tape encumbers all our attempts at action.
- to block up or fill with what is obstructive or superfluous: a mind encumbered with trivial and useless information.
- to burden or weigh down: She was encumbered with a suitcase and several packages.
- to burden with obligations, debt, etc.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.