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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as in pushing

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

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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 Many are shouldering economic hardship, exposure to adversity and discrimination, family responsibilities, uncertainty about the future and social pressures. — Crystal Cederna, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026 Lilly died on January 25, leaving her father to grieve her loss while shouldering a mission to spread awareness about the cancer that took his daughter’s life. — Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026 Even so, the increase in borrowing costs comes as Americans are shouldering higher costs for gas, food and other essentials. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, Miller had his lowest points output (53) in the last five years and worst points-per-game average in the last seven while shouldering the burden of his new captain responsibilities. — Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Agache said that the fundraiser was created so the couple could focus on grieving their daughter and honoring her life without shouldering all of the financial costs that followed her unexpected death. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026 Yuba-Sutter grower Rob Bains has a land development and custom farm work business and is shouldering hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for former Del Monte farmers until they get paid through the tree pull program. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026 What must happen is that even these lower density neighborhoods start adding housing stock at rates roughly proportional to what every other neighborhood is shouldering. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 In other words, people are more likely to win lawsuits and, in doing so, can avoid shouldering the burden of medical costs on their own. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shouldering

Verb

Taylor Swift gave an emotional speech while accepting the award for Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs on September 27.

— Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026
The page includes several posts criticizing Krell for accepting campaign donations and states that Singh will not accept special interest funds of any kind.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of accepting

Verb

Minh Connors | Bloomberg | Getty Images Coming off the successful launch of its Muse AI agent, Meta is now pushing its new artificial intelligence service into the business world.

— Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
That visibility gives leaders the leverage to address the underlying constraints instead of asking teams to keep pushing against them.

— Angela Palo, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of pushing

Verb

Any brand attempting something similar should ask what its equivalent trust signal is—certification, a guarantee, a verifiable specification—before assuming volume of content alone will move a purchase decision.

— Agung Dwi Sandi, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
However, the leap from these qualities to assuming, hyperbolically, that AI will become a competitor, even a predatory species ready to eliminate us, is a fantastical step too far.

— Keith Tidman, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of assuming

Verb

Moreover, the short extension of the trade armistice only underscores its fragility; Beijing is still squeezing flows of rare earths to extract concessions from the US and coerce its allies, including Japan.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2026
That high pressure and the burgeoning nor’easter are squeezing the air between them, increasing wind speeds along the East Coast.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

Some children's bodies were later recovered still wearing ties bearing their school’s logo, said Asta Man Dangol, a resident in Nuwakot.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
But, those same highs raise the risk of a downturn, even a significant one, with the market bearing one more burden, in the form of a consequential midterm election season.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of bearing

Verb

The key difference between EAs and safetyists is that EAs generally provide funding for AI safety research and risk mitigation, whereas safetyists are researchers and advocates undertaking AI safety work and publicly calling for regulation.

— Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
Before undertaking any renovations, the owners lived in the home for two years to get a feel for the place.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shouldering

verb

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