1
as in accepting
to take to or upon oneself
agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father
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Recent Examples of shouldering
Trump’s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war.
—
Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
The sandwich generation has been shouldering a heavy financial burden for far too long.
—Mary Moreland, Fortune, 17 May 2026
Those cases involve law firms shouldering the costs and the risks of a lawsuit, and taking a payment only once attorneys secure a settlement.
—Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
Despite being at an advanced stage of pregnancy, Zalya works tirelessly to keep the diner in order, shouldering responsibilities in ways for which her brother just seems unequipped.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
While his metrics at even strength haven’t matched the dominance that the LaCombe-Jacob Trouba pairing had, Carlson has been a valuable addition in shouldering the kind of heavy minutes he’s been accustomed to throughout his career.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 May 2026
They are prepped to run the ball more frequently, or at least run it more effectively, in hopes that this solves the stagnation — rather than personnel shouldering the load.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
During the last legislative session, lawmakers debated stricter rules to protect other electricity ratepayers from shouldering costs, but did not approve any of the bills focused on data centers.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
On top of that, commercial values dropped last year, as did apartment values, leaving homeowners shouldering more of the cost of running the city.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
The sandwich generation has been shouldering a heavy financial burden for far too long.
—Mary Moreland, Fortune, 17 May 2026
Those cases involve law firms shouldering the costs and the risks of a lawsuit, and taking a payment only once attorneys secure a settlement.
—Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
Despite being at an advanced stage of pregnancy, Zalya works tirelessly to keep the diner in order, shouldering responsibilities in ways for which her brother just seems unequipped.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
While his metrics at even strength haven’t matched the dominance that the LaCombe-Jacob Trouba pairing had, Carlson has been a valuable addition in shouldering the kind of heavy minutes he’s been accustomed to throughout his career.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 May 2026
They are prepped to run the ball more frequently, or at least run it more effectively, in hopes that this solves the stagnation — rather than personnel shouldering the load.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
During the last legislative session, lawmakers debated stricter rules to protect other electricity ratepayers from shouldering costs, but did not approve any of the bills focused on data centers.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
On top of that, commercial values dropped last year, as did apartment values, leaving homeowners shouldering more of the cost of running the city.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shouldering
Verb
-
Is preserving the family name worth accepting less?—
Brian Duggan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Streisand was accepting Cannes' prestigious Honorary Palme d’Or at the event, which was broadcast live from the Palais des Festivals stage.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Though putting olive oil in coffee isn’t technically a traditional Italian custom, Starbucks has a history of pushing limits to discover new, unexpected ways to innovate around coffee.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
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The United States has also been pushing for Iran to end uranium enrichment, which the regime in Tehran has rejected.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Once stakeholders begin assuming that every image, video, or statement could be fabricated, institutional trust weakens across the board.—
Richard Torrenzano,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
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And, teams assuming low-code handles anything can end up with fragile systems held together by workarounds.—
Nik Froehlich,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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After squeezing the game’s final out, first baseman Leyton MacPherson casually flipped the ball in the air, joined her teammate in a sprint toward Spangler, and gloves began flying.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
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After a week of squeezing through the dangerous, mazelike cave network, divers Mikko Paasi and Norrased Palasing emerged from its muddy waters Wednesday to find a cause for hope.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Many theatergoers come dressed in their goth-grunge best and bearing fanart of the cast.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
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Only devices bearing the China Compulsory Certification are permitted on flights within or departing from mainland China.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The feasibility study suggested adding trails and basic amenities, restoring the forest, and undertaking major stabilization work.—
Michael Wells,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
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India is undertaking tests of some of its most sensitive public-facing financial and government application software to better understand their vulnerabilities to Anthropic PBC’s next-generation Mythos AI model, according to Indian officials familiar with the matter.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shouldering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shouldering. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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