shoulder

American  

[shohl-der] / ˈʃoʊl dər /

noun

• shoulders
  plural

1. the part of each side of the body in humans, at the top of the trunk, extending from each side of the base of the neck to the region where the arm articulates with the trunk.

2. Usually shoulders these two parts together with the part of the back joining them.

3. a corresponding part in animals.

4. the upper foreleg and adjoining parts of a sheep, goat, etc.

5. the joint connecting the arm or the foreleg with the trunk.

6. a shoulderlike part or projection.

7. Ornithology. the bend of a bird's wing, between the hand and the forearm, especially when distinctively colored, as in the red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus.

8. a cut of meat that includes the upper joint of the foreleg.

9. Informal. Often shoulders capacity for bearing responsibility or blame or sympathizing with other people.

   If you want to tell me your troubles, I have broad shoulders.

10. a steplike change in the contour of an object, as for opposing or limiting motion along it or for an abutment.

11. Carpentry.

    1. the end surface or surfaces of a piece from which a tenon or tenons project.

    2. an inclined and raised surface, as on a joggle post, for receiving and supporting the foot of a strut or the like.

12. Fortification. the angle of a bastion between the face and the flank.

13. Printing. the flat surface on a type body extending beyond the base of the letter or character.

14. the part of a garment that covers, or fits over, the shoulder.

15. (in leather manufacturing) that part of the hide anterior to the butt.

16. either of the two edges or borders along a road, especially that portion on which vehicles can be parked in emergencies.

17. shoulder season.

18. Furniture. knee.

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verb (used with object)

• shoulders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shouldered,
  past participle,  past
• shouldering
  present participle

1. to push with or as if with the shoulder, especially roughly.

   to shoulder someone aside.

2. to take upon, support, or carry on or as if on the shoulder or shoulders.

   He shouldered his knapsack and walked on.

3. to assume as a responsibility.

   to shoulder the expense.

   Synonyms:

   take on, bear, accept

verb (used without object)

• shoulders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shouldered,
  past participle,  past
• shouldering
  present participle

1. to push with or as if with the shoulder.

   to shoulder through a crowd.

idioms

1. cry on someone's shoulder, to reveal one's problems to another person in order to obtain sympathy.

   Don't cry on my shoulder—this mess is your own fault.

2. put one's shoulder to the wheel, to work energetically toward a goal; put forth effort.

   If we put our shoulders to the wheel, we'll be able to finish the job soon.

3. straight from the shoulder, without evasion; directly; candidly.

   The lawyer told him straight from the shoulder that his case was weak.

4. shoulder to shoulder, side by side; with united effort.

   The volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder with the locals in harvesting the crops.

5. shoulder arms,

   1. to place a rifle muzzle upward on the right or left shoulder, with the buttstock in the corresponding hand.

   2. the command to shoulder arms.

6. rub shoulders with, to come into association with; mingle with.

   The gallery was a space where bohemian artists would rub shoulders with both affluent collectors and the general public.

shoulder British  

/ ˈʃəʊldə /

noun

1. the part of the vertebrate body where the arm or a corresponding forelimb joins the trunk: the pectoral girdle and associated structures

2. the joint at the junction of the forelimb with the pectoral girdle

3. a cut of meat including the upper part of the foreleg

4. printing the flat surface of a piece of type from which the face rises

5. tanning the portion of a hide covering the shoulders and neck of the animal, usually including the cheeks

6. the part of a garment that covers the shoulder

7. anything that resembles a shoulder in shape or position

8. the strip of unpaved land that borders a road

9. engineering a substantial projection or abrupt change in shape or diameter designed to withstand thrust

10. photog the portion of the characteristic curve of a photographic material indicating the maximum density that can be produced on the material

11. jewellery the part of a ring where the shank joins the setting

12. a person one turns to for sympathy with one's troubles

13. informal

    1. to treat someone in a cold manner; snub

    2. to ignore or shun someone

14. informal to work very hard

15. See rub

16. 1. side by side or close together

    2. in a corporate effort

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verb

1. (tr) to bear or carry (a burden, responsibility, etc) as if on one's shoulders

2. to push (something) with or as if with the shoulder

3. (tr) to lift or carry on the shoulders

4. military to bring the rifle vertically close to the right side with the muzzle uppermost and held at the trigger guard

shoulder More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing shoulder

• broad shoulders
• chip on one's shoulder
• cold shoulder
• cry on someone's shoulder
• good head on one's shoulders
• head and shoulders above
• on one's shoulders
• put one's shoulder to the wheel
• rub elbows (shoulders) with
• shrug one's shoulders
• square one's shoulders
• straight from the shoulder
• weight of the world on one's shoulders

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outshoulder
  verb (used with object)
• reshoulder
  verb (used with object)
• unshouldered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shoulders
  plural

Participles

• shouldering
  present
• shouldered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shoulder
  simple
• shoulders
  simple
• have shouldered
  perfect
• has shouldered
  perfect
• am shouldering
  progressive
• are shouldering
  progressive
• is shouldering
  progressive
• have been shouldering
  perfect progressive
• has been shouldering
  perfect progressive

Past

• shouldered
  simple
• had shouldered
  perfect
• was shouldering
  progressive
• were shouldering
  progressive
• had been shouldering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shoulder
  simple
• will have shouldered
  perfect
• will be shouldering
  progressive
• will have been shouldering
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of shoulder

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun sholder, s(c)hulder, Old English sculdor; cognate with Dutch schouder, German Schulter; the verb is derivative of the noun

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Explanation

Your shoulders are at the very top of your arms, where they meet your neck. When you shrug your shoulders, you lift them to convey indifference or the fact that you don't know the answer. Human shoulders are versatile ball-and-socket joints that are flexible but sturdy enough to allow for lifting heavy objects. Another kind of shoulder is the strip at the side of a road where you can pull your car over in an emergency. This word is also used as a verb, for literally or figuratively carrying heavy burdens: "You shoulder so much responsibility at work — they should give you a raise!" Give someone "the cold shoulder," and you're deliberately being unfriendly to them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shoulder shoulders shouldered shouldering

Start with the gravely voice that rumbles and mumbles, make your eyes as heavy-lidded as possible, add a swaggering shoulder roll and then just brood, baby, brood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Maybe most famously, the purple and sequined version with a gold “FF” logo slung over Carrie Bradshaw’s shoulder in the “Sex and the City” episode when she’s robbed at gunpoint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Betelgeuse is a massive red supergiant located in the constellation Orion, where it forms the famous hunter's shoulder.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

The singer, who has a six-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old stepson, said she felt confetti on her shoulder and "opened my eyes and thought 'oh my God, they said my name'."

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Oslak put a heavy hand on Torak’s shoulder.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

In the souks, men carry stacks of rugs on their shoulders and craftsmen shape brass lanterns in stalls no wider than a closet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

They all got to appear on a hugely popular TV show, rubbing shoulders with other stars and gaining new fans along the way.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

So even though Husted’s gridiron career ended decades ago, Trump indulged in lame fantasies about how he thinks a football player should look like, complete with broad shoulders and well-defined glutes.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

Flavio Bolsonaro wears a black shirt and shoulders a backpack as he disembarks the plane alongside his wife and two daughters, AFP observes.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

She placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed like she used to whenever I was too noisy or overexcited as a child.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Meanwhile, there’s also hope that more infrastructure financing will be shouldered outside of the corporate bond market.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

The documentary powerfully captures the apocalyptic landscape of Gaza City, its streets reduced to rubble and mangled rebar, and the weighty sense of responsibility shouldered by the few remaining journalists on the ground.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

"They told the truth, shouldered the responsibility and spared no effort in serving the people," the post read.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

“For too long, cities and taxpayers have shouldered the entire cost of cleaning up pollution that comes from these large commercial properties,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of the group Los Angeles Waterkeeper.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

He shouldered his pack, left the garden, and set off through the hot, silent streets, satisfied.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Schoenbrun’s talent for image-making, however, ends up shouldering much of that weight, letting intricate ideas about identity and personal relationships to digital media sit gracefully atop beautifully rendered cinematography.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

The sale process comes just eight months on from Khun Top saying he is shouldering the blame for the club's drastic recent demise.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The struggle to transport her body is representative of the Southern burden of shouldering a painful history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

But shouldering a wobbly, expensive summer tentpole is a risk — just ask Sam Worthington or Taylor Kitsch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Then shouldering their burdens, they set off, seeking a path that would bring them over the grey hills of the Emyn Muil, and down into the Land of Shadow.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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