WEIGH DOWN

1. To make heavy; cause to go down or bend with weight; overload. The evergreens are weighed down by the deep snow. Often used with "with" or "by". There are so many children in the back seat that they are weighing down the back of the car. 2a. To overload with care or worry; make sad or low in spirits. Usually used in the passive. The family is weighed down by sorrow. The company is weighed down by debt. 2b. To make heavy, hard, or slow; make dull or uninteresting. Often in the passive used with "by" or "with". The book is weighted down with footnotes. The TV program is weighed down by commercials.