verb · transitive · rare

cumber

cumber · cumbers · cumbered · cumbering

To slow down; to hinder; to burden; to encumberTo slow down; to hinder; to burden; to encumber.

/ˈkʌmbə/

Meaning

1 senses

(dated)To slow down; to hinder; to burden; to encumber.

More definitions

restrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult

Origin

From Middle English combren, aphetic form of acombren or encombren, borrowed from Old Fren

From Middle English combren, aphetic form of acombren or encombren, borrowed from Old French encombrer, ultimately either from Latin cumulus or Proto-Celtic *kombereti (“to bring together”), from *kom- + *bereti (“to bear”). Cognate with German kümmern (“to take care of”).

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Forms

cumbers, cumbering, cumbered, cumbered

Base form	cumber · to cumber
3rd person singular	cumbers
Present participle	cumbering
Past simple	cumbered
Past participle	cumbered

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, they	cumber
he, she, it	cumbers

Past simpleLesson

all persons

cumbered

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, they	have cumbered
he, she, it	has cumbered

Future simple (will)Lesson

all persons

will cumber

Synonyms

2 synonyms

encumberC2

Close in meaning

restrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult:restrain encumber

Word family

10 related words

RelatedencumberC2 encumbranceC2

Derivedcumberer cumberground cumberless cumberment cumbersome discumber overcumber uncumber

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle