The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - encumberv.

1) burden, weigh down, load (up or down) , overload, overburden, strain, oppress, saddle, tax, overtax: Encumbered with intolerable taxes, the people revolted. She almost drowned because she was encumbered with her numerous petticoats. 2) hamper, impede, hinder, handicap, inconvenience, trammel, retard, slow down: Though encumbered by an invalid husband, she managed to qualify as a barrister.