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 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 Pulisic, who shoulders the heaviest load for the USMNT, split two defenders and poked a pass to Weston McKennie, who seemed to be trying to send a cross across the goal. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 June 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 Charismatic and charming as ever, Gosling easily shoulders the job of being the only human onscreen for an epoch. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026 There is great skepticism about Ellison’s ability to make the high-wire act work while Paramount Skydance shoulders a mountain of debt supplied by a consortium that includes Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. — Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
  1. assumes
  2. pushes
  3. accepts
  4. elbows
  5. bears
  6. squeezes
  7. muscles
Verb
  • Guitars take the place of shovels, as Henry now repays Carlos’ kindness by helping to save the land that Carlos assumes is ravaged.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • There is a real risk of cultural bias if AI assumes the whole world, ranging from Argentina and Egypt to Japan and Zimbabwe, ought to pursue the same values as the Western world.
    — Alexandra Figueroa, The Conversation, 14 July 2026
Definition of assumes
Verb
  • Which hasn’t entirely stopped Klaveness from speaking out as Infantino pushes the boundaries of his power.
    — Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026
  • Daera pushes the conversation beyond recycled content as a singular solution toward a more complete circular product development.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 17 July 2026
Definition of pushes
Verb
  • The restaurant contributes labor, accepts part of the financial risk and gives those ingredients a path to diners.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Emily questions such disregard for men, but eventually accepts it as part of the pact to prioritize herself and her newfound sorority.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 20 July 2026
Definition of accepts
Verb
  • But the Heat landing Giannis elbows its way to the top of our sports marquee.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026
  • The mass release of dud studs elbows out fertile males, preventing them from mating with females, which generally only mate once.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026
Definition of elbows
Verb
  • That could usher in the company’s next phase of growth, which bears little resemblance to the initial premise behind the business.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026
  • Not a biological twin (although some people do have one or more of those) but a person who bears an uncanny resemblance to an unrelated stranger.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
Definition of bears
Verb
  • Ghiggia gallops in from the right and squeezes a finish in at the near post to win the cup for Uruguay in the Maracana.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • As a result, food inflation squeezes the amount of money people have left over to buy things like Levi's jeans and plane tickets, which brings us to our next earnings preview.
    — Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 5 July 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
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 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of shoulders for Spanish Speakers

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