1
a
: the laterally projecting part of the human body formed of the bones and joints with their covering tissue by which the arm is connected with the trunk
b
: the region of the body of nonhuman vertebrates that corresponds to the shoulder but is less projecting
2
a
: the two shoulders and the upper part of the back
—usually used in plural
b
shoulders plural
: capacity for bearing a task or blame
placed the guilt squarely on his shoulders
3
: a cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg and adjacent parts see lamb illustration
4
: the part of a garment at the wearer's shoulder
5
: an area adjacent to or along the edge of a higher, more prominent, or more important part: such as
a(1)
: the part of a hill or mountain near the top
(2)
: a lateral protrusion or extension of a hill or mountain
b
: either edge of a roadway
specifically
: the part of a roadway outside of the traveled way
6
: a rounded or sloping part (as of a stringed instrument or a bottle) where the neck joins the body
shouldered; shouldering
ˈshōl-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to push or thrust with or as if with the shoulder : jostle
shouldered his way through the crowd
2
a
: to place or bear on the shoulder
shouldered her knapsack
b
: to assume the burden or responsibility of
shoulder the blame
: to push with or as if with the shoulders aggressively
Examples of shoulder in a Sentence
Noun
He rested the baby's head on his shoulder.
He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around.
She carried a backpack on one shoulder.
The horse is five feet high at the shoulder.
We had pork shoulder for dinner.
Verb
He shouldered the blame for the project's failure.
The company will shoulder the costs of the repairs.
She shouldered the full burden of raising three children.
He shouldered the door open.
She shouldered through the crowd.
She shouldered her way through the crowd.
The soldiers shouldered their rifles and marched away.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2024
Another officer engaged with a 15-year-old male suspect, firing and striking the teen in his shoulder and leg, and recovered a weapon from him, the commissioner said.
—John Miller, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The 15-year-old was shot by police twice in the shoulder and leg, Bethel said.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Our tester felt like this extra support helped ease tension on her back and shoulders, even when pumping.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
Later that night, when Ben Turner’s Macduff learned of his family’s murder, the butterfly flew back onstage and landed on the actor’s shoulder.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
The Kings are already missing guard Kevin Huerter (shoulder), forward Trey Lyles (knee) and forward Sasha Vezenkov (ankle).
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 30 Mar. 2024
But the Heat will be without Tyler Herro (right foot medial tendinitis), Martin (right ankle discomfort) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery) against the Wizards.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2024
Parking on the shoulder of an interstate is only allowed in an emergency.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Still, Farrell shoulders most of the load as a world-weary sort harboring a big secret.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Ratepayers shoulder the burden for 95% of all local water infrastructure, so the relative cost of new water sources is a critical affordability issue.
—Cynthia Koehler, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Both remain hurt over the blame their team shouldered for decades after the program was shut down.
—Joe Drape, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Washington has long shouldered an unequal share of the military burden, especially on nuclear matters, to avoid a scenario in which countries such as Germany or Japan might destabilize their regions—and terrify their former victims—by building full-spectrum defense capabilities of their own.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
His mother, then a housewife, returned to the fields to shoulder the cost.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Terry shouldered an unimaginable burden when teammate and fellow defensive lineman Brandon Smith was found shot and killed the night before Manchester’s state title game in December.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The teams say neither the county nor the sports complex authority will have to shoulder demolition costs, should the Royals move and the Chiefs take over that space.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
Expect comforting dishes like large pasta loops with heritage pork shoulder ragu and wines ranging from acidic Etna Bianco to complex Nebbiolo.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2024
Another officer engaged with a 15-year-old male suspect, firing and striking the teen in his shoulder and leg, and recovered a weapon from him, the commissioner said.
—John Miller, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The 15-year-old was shot by police twice in the shoulder and leg, Bethel said.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Our tester felt like this extra support helped ease tension on her back and shoulders, even when pumping.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
Later that night, when Ben Turner’s Macduff learned of his family’s murder, the butterfly flew back onstage and landed on the actor’s shoulder.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
The Kings are already missing guard Kevin Huerter (shoulder), forward Trey Lyles (knee) and forward Sasha Vezenkov (ankle).
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 30 Mar. 2024
But the Heat will be without Tyler Herro (right foot medial tendinitis), Martin (right ankle discomfort) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery) against the Wizards.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2024
Parking on the shoulder of an interstate is only allowed in an emergency.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Mar. 2024
Verb
Polls show 70% of Okinawans feel their prefecture shoulders an unfair proportion of the burden of hosting U.S. military bases.
—Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Still, Farrell shoulders most of the load as a world-weary sort harboring a big secret.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Ratepayers shoulder the burden for 95% of all local water infrastructure, so the relative cost of new water sources is a critical affordability issue.
—Cynthia Koehler, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Both remain hurt over the blame their team shouldered for decades after the program was shut down.
—Joe Drape, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Washington has long shouldered an unequal share of the military burden, especially on nuclear matters, to avoid a scenario in which countries such as Germany or Japan might destabilize their regions—and terrify their former victims—by building full-spectrum defense capabilities of their own.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
His mother, then a housewife, returned to the fields to shoulder the cost.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
Terry shouldered an unimaginable burden when teammate and fellow defensive lineman Brandon Smith was found shot and killed the night before Manchester’s state title game in December.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The teams say neither the county nor the sports complex authority will have to shoulder demolition costs, should the Royals move and the Chiefs take over that space.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shoulder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English sholder, from Old English sculdor; akin to Old High German scultra shoulder
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of shoulder was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing shoulder
Articles Related to shoulder
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Dictionary Entries Near shoulder
Cite this Entry
“Shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoulder. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
shoulder
1 of 2 noun
shoul·der
ˈshōl-dər
1
: the part of the body of a person or animal where the arm or foreleg joins the body
2
: a cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg and attached parts
3
: the part of a garment at the wearer's shoulder
4
: a part that resembles a person's shoulder
shoulder of a hill
5
: the edge of a road
shoulder
2 of 2 verb
shouldered; shouldering
-d(ə-)riŋ
1
: to push with one's shoulder
shouldered him aside
2
: to accept as one's burden or responsibility
shoulder the blame
More from Merriam-Webster on shoulder
Nglish: Translation of shoulder for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shoulder for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shoulder
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