1
as in assumes
to take to or upon oneself
agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father
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Recent Examples of shoulders
Teams feel uncertainty at the top, momentum slows, and the CEO quietly shoulders more stress, not less.
—
Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Buckley shoulders intense on-screen distress without losing grasp of her character’s humanity, and Mescal lets his wan charm melt into something more haunted as Shakespeare ages and wrestles with loss.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2025
Atop that sits the conundrum of living in a city so small that every citizen shoulders the stress of celebrity.
—Literary Hub, 26 Nov. 2025
The Arabic word sirāt can refer to, among other things, the razor-thin bridge that leads, over the chasm of Hell, to paradise—a heavy burden of eschatological significance, but the film shoulders it lightly.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
Both cases are apt to serve as models for how to prevent the kind of school shootings still plaguing the nation and could set legal precedent for who shoulders the blame when children have access to guns and open fire on campus.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Glenn shoulders the blame for that, especially in light of some questionable decision-making during the loss to the Broncos.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Even as Redd shoulders the weight of her past, this new chapter is filled with joy.
—Essence, 6 Oct. 2025
While the rest of the film is populated with stars, including not only DiCaprio but Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Benicio del Toro, Infiniti, a newcomer to film, shoulders the brunt of the film’s emotional arc.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Buckley shoulders intense on-screen distress without losing grasp of her character’s humanity, and Mescal lets his wan charm melt into something more haunted as Shakespeare ages and wrestles with loss.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2025
Atop that sits the conundrum of living in a city so small that every citizen shoulders the stress of celebrity.
—Literary Hub, 26 Nov. 2025
The Arabic word sirāt can refer to, among other things, the razor-thin bridge that leads, over the chasm of Hell, to paradise—a heavy burden of eschatological significance, but the film shoulders it lightly.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
Both cases are apt to serve as models for how to prevent the kind of school shootings still plaguing the nation and could set legal precedent for who shoulders the blame when children have access to guns and open fire on campus.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Glenn shoulders the blame for that, especially in light of some questionable decision-making during the loss to the Broncos.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Even as Redd shoulders the weight of her past, this new chapter is filled with joy.
—Essence, 6 Oct. 2025
While the rest of the film is populated with stars, including not only DiCaprio but Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Benicio del Toro, Infiniti, a newcomer to film, shoulders the brunt of the film’s emotional arc.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
Verb
-
Too much of California’s policy assumes technological breakthroughs will simply appear on schedule, at an affordable cost, to meet the looming lofty goals.—
Suzette Valladares,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
-
But this assumes the PLA’s claim is, of course, true.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An unexpected opportunity or disruption pushes you into new territory.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The blockbuster investment, which comes as India pushes to gain a stronger foothold in the global AI race, is expected to create a $250 billion AI infrastructure ecosystem in India over the next decade, Adani said.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Real-time ride transparency—When a teen accepts a ride, parents receive a link to track their trips in real time.—
Staff Author,
Parents,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The quarter zip took on a life of its own in September, when Restricted, a Miami luxury reseller that primarily stocks Chrome Hearts and accepts cryptocurrency as payment, claimed to be selling the genuine article.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Chase Infiniti elbows into leading actress race Leave it to BAFTA voters to give a shout out one of the year’s biggest breakouts.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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Lower gently, elbows out 45 degrees, back flat.—
Gretchen Reynolds,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This case bears close similarities to the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose then-15-year-old son killed four students in 2021 at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Black suede dresses the majority of its upper, while cream leather is used for the Swoosh and heel, the latter of which bears embroidery of Thrasher’s famous logo.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All this requires a lot of power, which puts a strain on the grid and squeezes local resources.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
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Instead, in order to protect their identities, their words are read aloud during re-enactments by powerhouse actresses such as Emma Thompson (who squeezes herself beneath an axle) and Kate Dickie (performing, as the nurse, on all fours on Kenmure Street itself).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One year later, the XFL muscles its way onto the national sports scene with its first two games.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Gringo Films does not sound like the kind of company that muscles its way into the global animation business.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoulders. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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