SHOULDERING Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

shouldering

verb

present participle of shoulder

as in accepting

to take to or upon oneself agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pushing

to force one's way shouldered through the crowd at the bar and ordered a drink

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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 shouldering In the present, however, there’s more emphasis on teams’ leadership structures and not solely on one player shouldering the load. — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 22 July 2026 Four years on from the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has proved remarkably resilient, shouldering sanctions, rocketing inflation, and depleted fiscal reserves. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 June 2026 Those states whose food-stamp programs exceed that threshold will be on the hook for shouldering more of the program's costs starting in October 2027. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, said states are shouldering costs once covered by the federal government and often learn about cyber incidents through news reporting rather than federal briefings. — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 28 June 2026 Yet few took advantage of them, and, in fact, many Amerco workers seemed to gravitate toward shouldering ever more work. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Five or six men in dark trousers, with untucked shirts and loose jackets, hands in their pockets, shouldering off the wall and cutting slowly across the street, angling into the women’s path. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026 But shouldering a wobbly, expensive summer tentpole is a risk — just ask Sam Worthington or Taylor Kitsch. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026 Russell Westbrook was a chaotic but dynamic player in 2024-25, shouldering a high usage rate and playing a huge part in Denver’s first-round playoff series against the Clippers. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shouldering

Verb

The first Black man, who had struggled throughout the climb, walked away without giving his full name after accepting Hamrick’s thanks.

— John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
The state is accepting applications for a first round of grants to be used for planning.

— Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026

Definition of accepting

Verb

The former youth pastor suspected of pushing his wife off a Utah cliff died by suicide in a very unusual way, said the sheriff who oversees Las Vegas’ jails.

— Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 16 July 2026
As a car speeds up, the air resistance pushing against it increases and forces the engine to work harder, using more fuel to achieve the same speed.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 July 2026

Definition of pushing

Verb

One of the biggest mistakes that business leaders make amid expansion is assuming customers in new markets have the same wants, needs, emotional reactions and behaviors.

— Andrea Aker, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
In addition, the vote-by-mail ballots postmarked before or on Election Day need to be counted, too — assuming they are received by a county elections office no later than seven days after the election, the secretary of state’s office said.

— Paris Barraza, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Definition of assuming

Verb

McGurk argued that, if the return of the hostages was the only way to end the war, then publicly squeezing Israel to protect civilians could paradoxically prolong the fighting, resulting in more Palestinian deaths.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
De la Fuente’s forwards press aggressively, while centre-backs Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte hold a high defensive line, squeezing the pitch and pinning their opponents back.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

The dark-colored wash is a nice, polished touch—even with their relaxed silhouette, and midriff bearing rise.

— Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 18 July 2026
With his teacher’s blessing, the plan for the $200-million Dhammacetiya project was born — 840 stupas bearing Buddha’s teachings in 10 languages, built to last 4,000 years.

— Deepa Bharath, Fortune, 17 July 2026

Definition of bearing

Verb

With Erwin Hymer serving as the sitting professor of that class, group brand Bürstner has stepped up as its star research assistant, undertaking one market-evolving project after another.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 July 2026
England is currently undertaking its first complete review of the national curriculum in more than a decade.

— Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Definition of undertaking

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shouldered

shouldering

shoulders

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“Shouldering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shouldering. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shouldering

verb

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