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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoulders
Verb
-
Philippe Venet assumes de Givenchy’s position.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This math also assumes a 20% down payment.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That leaves a sicker, older, more expensive pool of enrollees, which pushes up premiums for everyone.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Our standards, our accountability and the way the group pushes each other every day, that is what has sustained our performance independent of who the head coach is.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The facility currently only accepts trash from municipalities, not individual residents.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
-
For those who are not able to give instruments, the conservatory accepts monetary donations to its instrument repair fund.—
Anya Sesay,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Before the Bride elbows her way into his life, Frank, ever so lonely, retreats into the world of movies.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Chase Infiniti elbows into leading actress race Leave it to BAFTA voters to give a shout out one of the year’s biggest breakouts.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now, Miami’s MLS team will have a stadium in the city that bears the club’s name.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The resulting rich royal blue outfit, which the doctor wore for a charity event, bears images related to hope and sparrows, which Bedlack told Atwood reminded him of a patient's tattoos.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The pencil-thin DQ Tower squeezes a full home into a very slender footprint, while the EONE XL takes a wider prefab approach to the same basic challenge.—
Stefan Ionescu
March 30,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There’s no end to the war in sight after one month as Iran squeezes the global economy.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 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 5 Apr. 2026.
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