shoulder

verb

Definition of shouldernext
1
as in to accept
to take to or upon oneself agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to push
to force one's way shouldered through the crowd at the bar and ordered a drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoulder Washington has been pressing allies to shoulder more of the spending burden. — Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 The type of exhilarating guard who can shoulder the burden of pulling Sacramento back into relevance. — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 5 July 2026 In the run-up to the summit, Erdogan described Turkey as a reliable ally that consistently shoulders responsibility on NATO’s southeastern flank and will continue to play a leading role in the alliance. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 That number, however, does not include the costs being shouldered by local, state and federal governments, with the Athletic reporting that the host cities were each spending upwards of $100 million to accommodate the tournament. — Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulder
  1. accept
  2. push
  3. assume
  4. elbow
  5. bear
  6. squeeze
  7. undertake
Verb
  • Trump has already accepted a set of Olympic medals from LA 28 chair Casey Wasserman and will preen as a man of consequence for the world when the Games come to Los Angeles in two years.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Morgan Scalley, Utah Utah brought a new coach to a media day for the first time in 20 years since Kyle Whittingham stepped down as the Utes’ coach before accepting the job at Michigan.
    — Cal Phillips July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
Definition of accept
Verb
  • Handing the survivor her jewelry and hearing her story a few days later gave Dondi and her team of volunteers a reassuring nudge to push forward with their work.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Normally, the onshore flow — a west-to-southwest wind that creates the ocean breeze and pushes air away from the coasts — would push the particulate matter with it.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of push
Verb
  • Some Cuba watchers are skeptical Rodríguez Castro could assume a leading role in the official government.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Vahidi, who assumed the role after his predecessor Mohammad Pakpour was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war, is rarely seen in public.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of assume
Verb
  • The unit is also missing Carlos Rodón (elbow inflammation) and Max Fried (elbow bone bruise), so the depth-lacking Yankees can’t afford another rotation injury right now.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026
  • Obviously able to hold his own in MLB, the 25-year-old Rule 5 draft pick (2024) had never thrown a single pitch above Single A after having consecutive seasons destroyed by back and elbow surgeries.
    — John Laghezza, New York Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of elbow
Verb
  • Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951, to homemaker Elsie and coal miner Glyndwr, and was one of seven children.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • More than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Tehran, this tiny town of Kohima also bears the brunt of the Iran war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of bear
Verb
  • The result is a new generation of patients planning trips around treatments rather than squeezing appointments into an existing vacation.
    — Meggen Harris, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • With inflation squeezing their margins and rideshare platforms demanding a large share of their earnings, a driver’s split-second decision to accept a fare is a high-stakes calculation of business survival.
    — Christopher S. Tang, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Would a hard right without Hitler governing Germany in ’33 have done anything as crazy as undertaking a Second World War against Britain, plus France, plus the Soviet Union, plus the United States?
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • This feels unfair, especially when much AI development is being undertaken by large corporations with deep pockets.
    — Zoey Forbes, The Dial, 7 July 2026
Definition of undertake

Phrases Containing shoulder

Browse Nearby Words

should
shoulder
shoulder bag
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoulder. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on shoulder

Nglish: Translation of shoulder for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shoulder

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All