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 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 Teams feel uncertainty at the top, momentum slows, and the CEO quietly shoulders more stress, not less. — Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
  1. assumes
  2. pushes
  3. accepts
  4. elbows
  5. bears
  6. squeezes
  7. muscles
Verb
  • As the force gradually assumes responsibility for police patrols, Haitian police will be able to redeploy to support operations in Kenscoff, the international force said.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The problem is that the stock's valuation already assumes all of that keeps going, at a moment when the growth driver behind it (the AI-era power generation boom) is facing its first regulatory pushback.
    — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of assumes
Verb
  • Incoming low pressure from the west pushes away heat and allows better moisture to enter the state, raising rain chances as soon as Friday evening and increasing through the weekend.
    — Tevian Whitehurst, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Most of life is complex and multifaceted, and reading is one of the only habits that pushes back against the instinct to see things in black and white.
    — Mckenna Friedland, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of pushes
Verb
  • Nominations can be submitted by anyone, and the selection committee accepts self-nominations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Jones pleaded nolo contendere – a plea where the defendant accepts a conviction without directly admitting guilt – to one of the nine counts on June 30, 2026.
    — TJ Rhodes, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 28 Aug. 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
  • The book is named after a horse; the cover bears the image of a horse; its pages are filled with talk of equine photos, sculptures, and statuettes; and the key metaphor of the narrative is grounded in a horse story.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Now, Asia’s financial environment bears some striking similarities to the period immediately before the crisis, according to HSBC’s chief economist Frederick Neumann.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of bears
Verb
  • If internal fluid pressure drops during aggressive extraction, the surrounding earth squeezes the cavern inward, permanently shrinking total storage capacity and crushing steel well casings.
    — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • As engine speed rises, centrifugal force squeezes the drive clutch closed and pushes the belt farther outward.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 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

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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 4 Sep. 2026.

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