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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
  • Basic infrastructure, something everything else assumes is there and arguably closer to a right than a product.
    — Satya Vandrangi, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Hulu sports comedy stars Glen Powell as Russ Holliday, a disgraced former college football star who assumes the fake identity of Chad Powers — donning prosthetics and all — to have a second chance at a football career.
    — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of assumes
Verb
  • For example, diesel prices have hit record highs above $6 a gallon, which pushes up the cost of shipping for groceries and other goods delivered by truck.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The harder engineering work will happen in the tests that follow, as Venus pushes the engine through longer and more demanding runs.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of pushes
Verb
  • The marketplace now accepts operating companies alongside those winding down.
    — Wen Shao, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Happen Bank accepts applicants with co-borrowers, but not co-signers.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 10 Sep. 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
  • Robert Langlands, a Canadian mathematician now in his 80s who occupies Albert Einstein’s former office at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, launched the program that bears his name in 1967.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Millions of people live in or near bear habitat across the Rockies, where widespread drought has reduced supplies of nuts, berries and plants that bears eat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of bears
Verb
  • Eccles’s fix is a set of compression bags paired with a cordless pump, which squeezes clothing down, so everything fits without overstuffing a suitcase.
    — Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That obviously makes Labor Day a particularly good excuse to mix a cocktail that squeezes a little more out of summer.
    — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • Which muscles the farmer’s walk targets The move works nearly the entire body, but leg muscles, the core and shoulder muscles carry most of the load.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 24 July 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 17 Sep. 2026.

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