1
as in to accept
to take to or upon oneself
agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoulder
Women overwhelmingly continue to shoulder caregiving responsibilities and 2026 Pew Research finds that women remain significantly more likely than men to report caregiving negatively impacts their emotional wellbeing (47% versus 30%).
—
Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The fact that he’s essentially been asked to shoulder the load isn’t fair or reasonable.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 26 May 2026
Trump’s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war.
—Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
The Royals have the gift of time — 112 games is a lot of baseball — but also shoulder the burden of finding a way to get better.
—Sam McDowell May 22, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoulder
Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The fact that he’s essentially been asked to shoulder the load isn’t fair or reasonable.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 26 May 2026
Trump’s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war.
—Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
The Royals have the gift of time — 112 games is a lot of baseball — but also shoulder the burden of finding a way to get better.
—Sam McDowell May 22, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulder
Verb
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The Justice Department hasn’t formed the five-member commission that will decide on payout criteria, so there has been no money paid out yet or claims accepted.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Missouri lawmakers slashed funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library free book program from $6 million to $2 million, meaning the state will no longer accept new children into the literacy program starting July 1.—
Ian Cummings,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The actress started advocating for menopause and mid-life care in 2024 − after her doctor misdiagnosed her symptoms as herpes − and pushed for legislation to fund research and education in women’s health.—
Wendy Naugle,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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The visit is a chance for Xi to push for a rebalancing of these ties and to signal the importance of the relationship to Beijing at a moment of global flux.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Pack further assumed that anyone with valuable information about Guthrie’s alleged kidnapping is likely not sleeping well these days.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
4 June 2026
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Because the world assumes that all people are heteronormative and cisgenger, kids can often be on the back foot when talking about their relationships and identity.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The mass release of dud studs elbows out fertile males, preventing them from mating with females, which generally only mate once.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
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Stulberg pointed to his ejection for elbowing Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the second round of the playoffs as an example.—
Elise Devlin,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The Troodos Mountains, Cyprus — Mount Olympus rises more than 1,900 meters, offering hiking and cycling in warm months and skiing in winter, plus traditional villages like Lofou that bear no resemblance to a typical Cyprus beach holiday.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
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Journalist once wrote for 'The Idol' Bilton, who was born in Darlington, England, and later moved to the United States, worked as a design editor and a researcher at The New York Times from 2003 to 2016.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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The bedroom is now its own separate space—one that Konieczny managed to squeeze more custom storage inside—and despite having to move the shower and toilet, the bathroom is much more functional as well.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The austerity policies that Spain undertook during that crisis—such as freezing the minimum wage and cutting social spending—had produced an immensely unequal recovery and become the target of populist movements.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
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How widespread other internal corrosion may be remains unclear as the team undertakes an internal inspection using a scoping tool similar to one used to generate images from deep inside more human forms.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Cite this Entry
“Shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoulder. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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