SHOULDERING Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

shouldering

verb

present participle of shoulder

as in accepting

to take to or upon oneself agreed to shoulder the burden of caring for their elderly father

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pushing

to force one's way shouldered through the crowd at the bar and ordered a drink

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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 shouldering Yuba-Sutter grower Rob Bains has a land development and custom farm work business and is shouldering hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for former Del Monte farmers until they get paid through the tree pull program. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026 What must happen is that even these lower density neighborhoods start adding housing stock at rates roughly proportional to what every other neighborhood is shouldering. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 Kalen DeBoer and Marcus Freeman each have title game appearances, but DeBoer is shouldering the weight of following Nick Saban at Alabama and has seen his stock trend slightly downward the last two years. — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Electricity bills have gone up in Quincy, but large industrial customers like data centers are shouldering the burden. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 Investors recognize that the good returns enjoyed by equity owners are – or should be – compensation for shouldering a genuine hazard of interim loss. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026 In other words, people are more likely to win lawsuits and, in doing so, can avoid shouldering the burden of medical costs on their own. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 State regulators have been working with utility companies to prevent residential ratepayers and small businesses from shouldering the burden of paying for the power infrastructure upgrades necessary to accommodate data center demand. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2026 Sholl also notes that the largest station groups may not immediately rush to buy competitors because many of the most logical acquirers are already shouldering a lot of debt. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 23 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shouldering

Verb

So deep are the divisions that hardliners have accused officials of deliberately mismanaging the economic crisis to pressure an exhausted public into accepting a deal.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Miller and Young each received two-year prison sentences but were released shortly after accepting the plea agreement.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of accepting

Verb

For the first time, Fed officials described the demand generated by AI infrastructure buildouts as something that could continue to drive up prices for tech products and electricity—thereby pushing up inflation.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Canada has responded with its own retaliatory tariffs and pledged an aid package for affected companies, with Prime Minister Mark Carney commanding public support for the economic pain that will result from pushing back.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of pushing

Verb

Coronated at age 3 after his father’s death, the curious boy king in colorful robes mesmerized world leaders and ruled through regents until assuming full authority at 18.

— Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
At those levels, assuming no additional charges, paying off the debt while making minimum payments could take nearly 27 years and cost nearly $13,000 in interest alone, according to Bankrate's credit card calculator.

— Mike Winters, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of assuming

Verb

In the distance, a toddler in a matching Nike outfit literally leaped into the arms of a crying woman, perhaps a grandmother, squeezing tightly for a hug.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
The floods will likely change that outlook, squeezing a country that’s heavily dependent on tourism while forcing a costly period of reconstruction.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeezing

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shouldered

shouldering

shoulders

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“Shouldering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shouldering. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shouldering

verb

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