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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
Verb
-
The best outcome for a bondholder is that the borrower pays the coupon and returns the principal, which is exactly what the price already assumes.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
Because the world assumes that all people are heteronormative and cisgenger, kids can often be on the back foot when talking about their relationships and identity.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The Aries Moon pushes your mind toward bigger plans, but your best move may be stepping away long enough to feel what is true.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
9 June 2026
-
Even if a possible outbreak pushes up prices, the changes would be incremental rather than a sudden jump like the price of eggs during the bird flu outbreak.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Scorsese is the highest-profile filmmaker to embrace the technology roiling many of his Hollywood peers and potentially representing a paradigm shift in how the film industry accepts its use.—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
3 June 2026
-
Because California accepts and counts large numbers of mail-in ballots after Election Day, final results were not immediately available.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Figures move across these planes in extravagant silhouette, heads tilted just so, fingers stiffly splayed and elbows akimbo.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
This lifelong Black Catholic bears no illusions about the sins of my church.—
Laura Washington,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
Eastern Forest Tick Examined under a microscope, this minuscule parasite bears an uncanny resemblance to your childhood bully, right down to its mullet and Van Halen T-shirt.—
Jay Ruttenberg,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
View gallery - 10 images Intended for full-time living, the Porto squeezes a lot into its modest footprint.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 June 2026
-
Even Zach Cherry squeezes plenty from his part as the dealership’s manager, who grows loudly resentful when Nate seems more emotionally invested in his biological children than coworkers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 May 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoulders. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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