shoulders

verb

present tense third-person singular of shoulder
1
as in assumes
to take to or upon oneself agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pushes
to force one's way shouldered through the crowd at the bar and ordered a drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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 shoulders Mary Amiti, Sebastian Heise and David Weinstein looked at who shoulders the cost of the tariffs, examining which part of the tariff reaches consumers through higher prices versus which share of the price hike is due to other factors. — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2026 Elordi nearly shoulders the running time but plays his Hig a bit too humbly. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 There are also fears the plan may spark a lawsuit as tensions between the states over who shoulders the cuts bubble over. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 Ashley Christopher, an attorney and Howard alumna whose son is a sophomore there, thinks Howard shoulders some blame. — Matt Brown, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 Maja witnessing her parents’ difficulties, quickly learns Danish and consequently shoulders the responsibility of an adult to support them. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026 In the run-up to the summit, Erdogan described Turkey as a reliable ally that consistently shoulders responsibility on NATO’s southeastern flank and will continue to play a leading role in the alliance. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 The least productive line of the four against Minnesota was the second unit, but that trio also shoulders significant defensive responsibilities. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 20 May 2026 Cunningham shoulders the weight of a city thirsty for meaningful basketball. — Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
  1. assumes
  2. pushes
  3. accepts
  4. elbows
  5. bears
  6. squeezes
  7. muscles
Verb
  • The overbuild risk The market may already have overbuilt relative to the payback window that data center financing assumes.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe The Mob assumes that someone tuning in to this show is also a loyal viewer of all other reality shows and are aware of whatever drama Demi and Harry are carrying into this setting.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumes
Verb
  • The textile industry has been increasingly investing in Vietnam amid diversification pushes out from China.
    — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • With that in mind, Ultron pushes Thomas to face painful truths about his insecurities over his deadbeat dad and his hunger for Vision’s fatherly love.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of pushes
Verb
  • When Lear disowns her, the King of France accepts Cordelia as his wife and takes her back to his homeland.
    — Langdon Hammer, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • When Danny is assigned to create a holiday scrapbook for his mom, Michaela reluctantly accepts help from his free-spirited substitute teacher, Bryan (Morgan), whose creativity clashes with her need for preciseness and control.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of accepts
Verb
  • Where the Cayenne’s steering is calibrated so that the road nudges the driver, Bentley’s elbows back at those perturbances.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Montana props himself up on a utility stool for our interview, elbows on a wood table, while holding his phone in his hand.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 30 July 2026
Definition of elbows
Verb
  • Kherson bears deep scars of war, with plywood covering windows and shattered glass everywhere.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Scottie’s punishing, smothering treatment of Judy, who bears much more than a passing resemblance to Madeleine, borders on truly terrifying to many women watching the film.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of bears
Verb
  • When the user presses their finger on the part of the patch that contains the wet fabric, the pressure squeezes the water out of the material, down one of the microfluidic channels, and into the foaming agent chamber.
    — Ben Coxworth October 23, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In the aerodynamic phenomenon known as ground effect, proximity to that surface squeezes air beneath a craft’s wings to reduce drag and boost lift, with far less propulsive power required than for high-altitude flight.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • Panthers receiver Cataurus Hicks comes down with it and muscles his way forward in an attempt to get into the end zone.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of muscles

Phrases Containing shoulders

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shouldering
shoulders
shout
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Cite this Entry

“Shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoulders. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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