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 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 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 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
  • And although Engwe advertises a 55-mile maximum range, that figure assumes ideal conditions.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The committee’s analysis assumes Trump continued to hold the positions disclosed at the end of last year.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 24 Aug. 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
  • On a recent afternoon, the lanky, mustachioed Zucker, wearing a T-shirt, ballcap and small hoop earrings, bears little resemblance to his comic alter ego who sports a tattered suit with gag props stuffed in every pocket.
    — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • His surname bears the history of the attempts to assimilate Native peoples into American ways of life.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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