Synonyms of shouldering

shouldering

verb

present participle of shoulder

1

as in accepting

to take to or upon oneself

agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accepting
• assuming
• bearing
• undertaking
• embracing
• taking over
• adopting
• advocating
• supporting
• endorsing
• upholding
• championing
• backing
• acquiescing
• assenting
• acceding
• agreeing
• taking up
• consenting
• standing by
• espousing
• reassuming
• reaccepting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• withdrawing
• disclaiming
• repudiating
• refusing
• renouncing
• disavowing
• disowning
• rejecting
• retracting
• avoiding
• declining
• spurning
• taking back
• abjuring
• turning down
• recanting
• abandoning
• bypassing
• relinquishing
• refraining (from)
• forsaking
• abstaining (from)
• forbearing
• surrendering
• detouring
• giving up
• unsaying
• backing off
• backing down
• backtracking
• abnegating

2

as in pushing

to force one's way

shouldered through the crowd at the bar and ordered a drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pushing
• squeezing
• shoving
• elbowing
• pressing
• jostling
• jamming
• crashing
• bulldozing
• muscling
• thrusting
• boring
• bulling
• ramming

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shouldering

State regulators have been working with utility companies to prevent residential ratepayers and small businesses from shouldering the burden of paying for the power infrastructure upgrades necessary to accommodate data center demand. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2026

Sholl also notes that the largest station groups may not immediately rush to buy competitors because many of the most logical acquirers are already shouldering a lot of debt. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 23 July 2026

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

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