shoulder
noun
shoul·der
| \ ËshĆl-dÉr
\
\
Definition of shoulder
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: the laterally projecting part of the human body formed of the bones and joints with their covering tissue by which the arm is connected with the trunk
b
: the region of the body of nonhuman vertebrates that corresponds to the shoulder but is less projecting
2a
: the two shoulders and the upper part of the back
—usually used in plural
b
shoulders plural
: capacity for bearing a task or blame
placed the guilt squarely on his shoulders
3
: a cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg and adjacent parts â see lamb illustration
4
: the part of a garment at the wearer's shoulder
5
: an area adjacent to or along the edge of a higher, more prominent, or more important part: such as
a(1)
: the part of a hill or mountain near the top
(2)
: a lateral protrusion or extension of a hill or mountain
b
: either edge of a roadway
specifically
: the part of a roadway outside of the traveled way
6
: a rounded or sloping part (as of a stringed instrument or a bottle) where the neck joins the body
shoulder
verb
shouldered;
shouldering\ ËshĆl-d(É-)riĆ
\
\
Definition of shoulder (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to push or thrust with or as if with the shoulder : jostle
shouldered his way through the crowd
2a
: to place or bear on the shoulder
shouldered her knapsack
b
: to assume the burden or responsibility of
shoulder the blame
: to push with or as if with the shoulders aggressively
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Other Words from shoulder
Noun
shouldered
\ ËshĆl-dÉrd
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for shoulder
Synonyms: Verb
accept, assume, bear, take over, undertake
Antonyms: Verb
disavow, disclaim, disown, repudiate
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Examples of shoulder in a Sentence
Noun
He rested the baby's head on his shoulder. He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. She carried a backpack on one shoulder. The horse is five feet high at the shoulder. We had pork shoulder for dinner.Verb
He shouldered the blame for the project's failure. The company will shoulder the costs of the repairs. She shouldered the full burden of raising three children. He shouldered the door open. She shouldered through the crowd. She shouldered her way through the crowd. The soldiers shouldered their rifles and marched away.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Days 6-7: Delphi, Greece Fly via Athens to Delphi, an archaeological site perched dramatically on the shoulder of Mount Parnassus. — National Geographic, "Italy and Greece Middle School Expedition," 10 Sep. 2019 Remember the shirts with the New York Yankees baseball caps on the shoulders? — Vogue, "Itâs Been 20 Years Since Miguel Adrover Disrupted NYFWâ8 Ways That He Was Ahead of His Time," 4 Sep. 2019 The team followed the lead of the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons â who had previously also turned away from their classic uniforms to fashion-forward looks with wild piping on the pants and accents on the shoulders. — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, "NFL's worst-ever uniforms, from Color Rush and throwbacks to regrettable rebrandings," 2 Sep. 2019 Jolie, wearing a pink outfit and a blonde wig similar to that of Swiftâs hairstyle, smiled and laughed as Travolta extended his arm and gave her a pat on the shoulder while holding the moon man award. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "John Travolta 'Didn't Care' People Thought He Mistook Jade Jolie for Taylor Swift at the VMAs," 30 Aug. 2019 However, the burden to replace Mooreâs contributions wonât fall on the shoulders of just two players. — Brian Murphy, orlandosentinel.com, "UCF turns to Tay Gowan, Zamari Maxwell to help offset loss of Brandon Moore," 30 Aug. 2019 Russell missed all of the 2018 season due to a shoulder injury. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "NFL free agent Ryan Russell comes out as bisexual," 30 Aug. 2019 Some of the blame also belongs on the shoulders of the American doctors themselves. — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, "Gupta: Doctors must lead us out of our opioid abuse epidemic," 27 Aug. 2019 Clemson, meanwhile, won the College Football Playoff national championship on the shoulders of true freshman Trevor Lawrence, who took over the starting job from Kelly Bryant a month into the season. — Tom Green | [email protected], oregonlive, "Freshman Orientation: Auburnâs Bo Nix the latest in trend of true freshman starting quarterbacks," 26 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
That gave me an amazing vantage point looking down the street as marchers headed to the old courthouse: a sea of friends and neighbors, shoulder to shoulder, placards bobbing up and down, everyone sweating together in the late summer sun. — Steven Petrow, Washington Post, "After the KKK makes a late night visit, a tiny North Carolina town takes a stand," 6 Sep. 2019 With his new deal, Jay-Z will now have to shoulder some of that weight. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "The controversy surrounding Jay-Zâs new partnership with the NFL, explained," 16 Aug. 2019 On a recent night, standing shoulder to shoulder in a darkened street, anti-government protesters in Hong Kong waved American flags and sang the U.S. national anthem, the words blaring through scratchy megaphones. — Los Angeles Times, "Trump praises Chinese leader, not Hong Kong protesters seeking democratic reforms," 15 Aug. 2019 The deal also diverted $44 million from regional tourism bureau Destination Cleveland, which has had to shoulder expenses of the induction ceremonies that will now be paid for with bed tax money. — Courtney Astolfi, cleveland.com, "Cuyahoga County Council increases bed tax to 6.5 percent," 6 Aug. 2019 With Rapinoe back, Alex Morgan wonât have to shoulder the offensive load for the Americans. — Austin Knoblauch, latimes.com, "Womenâs World Cup: Megan Rapinoe starts for U.S. vs. Netherlands," 7 July 2019 Emmel and Posey had to shoulder responsibility for the first run while Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford knows his fifth inning misplay led to the second. — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News, "Giants playing their best baseball in 12 months, take down first-place Brewers at home," 14 June 2019 Other additional costs, like the requirement that vendors offer at least one vegetarian option at every food stall and use 95% organic ingredients, are being shouldered by vendors and attendees. — Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth, Billboard, "At Norway's Ăya Festival, Going Green Is the Name of the Game," 1 Aug. 2019 And much of this is either shared or shouldered by young girls like Neha, who should ideally be in school. — Nilanjana Bhowmick, Time, "School Has Been a Right for Girls in India Since 2009. So Why Arenât They Going?," 27 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shoulder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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