1
as in assumed
to take to or upon oneself
agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father
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Recent Examples of shouldered
One exception was best actress co-recipient Kawase Naomi, who appeared bare-shouldered in a dramatic red-and-black gown, a choice perhaps influenced by her many appearances as a director at Cannes, where glamor is a given.
—
Mark Schilling, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Reave has shouldered a ton of responsibilities for the Lakers this season, starting it without their superstar forward, LeBron James.
—Ricardo Sandoval, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Daniels shouldered responsibility for the loss postgame.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
Frankly, the Timberwolves clutch-time offense hasn’t been good at any point during the Chris Finch-Anthony Edwards era, and the star guard has deservedly shouldered plenty of the blame.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
My sister had shouldered the heavy burden of caring for our mother in her final years, after which she was left with nearly all of our mother’s remaining belongings that had been left in her home.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey shouldered the team’s offensive output in the win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Maiava, who’s typically reserved, shouldered some of the blame after completing just 52% of his passes and throwing a season-high two interceptions.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025
Together, Guerrero and Bichette shouldered the Blue Jays through a rebuild.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Mark Schilling, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Reave has shouldered a ton of responsibilities for the Lakers this season, starting it without their superstar forward, LeBron James.
—Ricardo Sandoval, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Daniels shouldered responsibility for the loss postgame.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
Frankly, the Timberwolves clutch-time offense hasn’t been good at any point during the Chris Finch-Anthony Edwards era, and the star guard has deservedly shouldered plenty of the blame.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
My sister had shouldered the heavy burden of caring for our mother in her final years, after which she was left with nearly all of our mother’s remaining belongings that had been left in her home.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey shouldered the team’s offensive output in the win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Maiava, who’s typically reserved, shouldered some of the blame after completing just 52% of his passes and throwing a season-high two interceptions.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025
Together, Guerrero and Bichette shouldered the Blue Jays through a rebuild.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shouldered
Verb
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More recently, Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing populist who assumed office in 2019, got along famously with the similarly minded Trump during the last two years of the American president’s first term.—
Ron Kampeas,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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When preparing to host Thanksgiving, it's assumed that hand towels are going to be a necessity in both the kitchen, powder room, and guest bathrooms.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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DeSantis, a Republican, has prioritized Everglades restoration and pushed to expedite the reservoir’s construction during his two terms in office.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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Erik Karlsson pushed his career-best home points streak to nine games with a goal, while Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte also scored for Pittsburgh.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Later in the shift, Lohrei joined the rush and accepted a pass from Morgan Geekie in the neutral zone.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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She got accepted for one, but then the sellers backed out.—
Celia Fernandez,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Panthers squeezed a few end-of-career seasons out of guys such as Dino Ciccarelli and Igor Larionov.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Steamer or Iron When squeezed into a small suitcase, clothes have a tendency to wrinkle.—
Abbey Hudetz,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But considering the Ambriz siblings undertook such an elaborate story involving supernatural puppets and a fantastical land, presumably for a fraction of the cost, the result is major step forward for the medium, and in particular this technique in Mexico.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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In 1993, President Bill Clinton undertook a restoration and refurbishment of the Executive Mansion.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a perfect world, your personal life wouldn’t seep into your job, but also, a perfect world seems boring.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2026
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These days, the aviary houses parakeets that are mostly rejects from friends whose kids got bored with them.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shouldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shouldered. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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