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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shouldering
Verb
-
Do is serving a five-year sentence in federal prison for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes to steer $10 million in pandemic relief funds to two nonprofits.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
-
Villegas built grassroots support in the heavily Latino, working-class district, running on policies such as Medicare for All and not accepting corporate money.—
Mathew Miranda
June 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Airbus Helicopters has revealed a new autonomous aircraft based on its popular H145 platform, pushing the company deeper into the growing market for large uncrewed rotorcraft.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
-
In practice, staff can keep administrative windows or sensitive data securely on their side while pushing relevant content – like check-in forms, digital signatures, or purchase breakdowns – directly to the client.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
For student loans, co-signer releases can happen after making a certain number of consecutive, on-time payments, assuming the lender offers co-signer releases.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
After all, the injunction will last until a trial, assuming an NCAA appeal is unsuccessful, and a trial date might be scheduled after his college season ends.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Carting around unhappy campers in 100-degree weather and squeezing work into a shorter window is not exactly being poolside with a marg.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
4 June 2026
-
The defense is disciplined, squeezing pressure from its trio of wings.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Emails reviewed by ARTnews at the time show that the committee requested the student curators remove two works from the exhibition, including a 2023 fabric installation by Ahmad Almahdi bearing the names of 6,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s war in Gaza.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
9 June 2026
-
Venus and Jupiter’s harmonious connection arrives bearing a chance of a lifetime!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
My intention in undertaking such a capacious view of Black maternal separation is not to find new ways to highlight the wounds of Black mothers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
For those undertaking an outdoor kitchen project, almost all (95 percent) are starting from scratch.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shouldering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shouldering. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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