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
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
The market winner may be the vendor who shoulders the most admin and management through its data and services backbone and manages to keep the human in human resources.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
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
The market winner may be the vendor who shoulders the most admin and management through its data and services backbone and manages to keep the human in human resources.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
Verb
-
Neither the author nor publisher assumes liability for any loss or damage arising from use of this material.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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But all of that assumes that a putsch does succeed, and this is dubious.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Kenya licensed 42 new digital lenders, raising the country’s total number to 195, as the central bank pushes to formalize a sector that has become an important part of East Africa’s largest economy.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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The financial asset label pushes prediction markets toward the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a federal agency, and grants immunity from state gambling laws and taxes on gross betting revenue.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The story follows a young woman, a lifelong swimmer and Olympic hopeful, who accepts a college swimming scholarship in Texas in order to escape an abusive father and an alcoholic, suicidal mother.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Sklenar).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Lower gently, elbows out 45 degrees, back flat.—
Gretchen Reynolds,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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Glasses, no makeup, lips compressed, elbows close to body.—
Margaret Heidenry,
Vanity Fair,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Apart from being an actor, Lewis bears a striking resemblance to his dad.—
Alexandra Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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The jumbo trend bears monitoring given its recent success and how McDaniels has diversified Munford's usage.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
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View gallery - 12 images This recently completed tiny house squeezes a lot of living space into a compact footprint using clever design.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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 10 Jan. 2026.
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