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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

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

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

By the weekend, when the shoulder pads come on, coaches will be breaking out in smiles watching their freshmen players trying to figure out the routine for the first time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

"Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering," Burnham, who took office on July 20, said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Major employers largely held back on adding people due to economic uncertainties or a belief that artificial intelligence could shoulder more tasks on the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

That system would remain in place for those who don’t want insurers tracking them and looking over their shoulder every time they get behind the wheel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Father, his jeweler’s glass in his eye, was bent over the shoulder of the newest apprentice, deftly selecting an infinitesimal part from the array before them on the workbench.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

As he walked up to the door, he checked over his shoulders to see if he was being watched, and he hoped his parents would still be waiting for him inside.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

"It's caused me grief, but it's also lifted a good bit off my shoulders."

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

She scraped my skin with firm, painful strokes, and then moved on to cupping, placing glass suction cups across my back and shoulders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

"The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The shoulders of the shirt line up with his actual shoulders instead of falling halfway down his upper arms the way they do on me.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Some shouldered the costs of posting bail, securing defense attorneys and taking days off from work to appear in court, including cases where videos debunked the assault claims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

His optimism and heart are inspiring — a kid of Black and Korean heritage who shouldered losing both parents to incarceration and still emerged with a buoyant persona.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

Studies have found that the vast majority of those costs have been shouldered by American companies importing foreign goods and consumers buying them.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Walker himself shouldered an extra load with top running back Zach Charbonnet sidelined by a torn knee ligament suffered in a playoff win over San Francisco.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

I was explaining the dénouement when Cloke Rayburn abruptly shouldered through the crowd.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

And yet this same group of workers is also shouldering the care of aging parents and adult children.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

A look at the recent rally in the $30 trillion Treasury market reflects concerns about the ability of U.S. families and businesses to keep shouldering higher fuel costs.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026

For American farmers already shouldering higher costs, the Mideast disruption has boosted prices for certain fertilizers by about 30%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

Yet a similar number, about 60% of businesses, also reported shouldering some of that increased cost burden—increasing the likelihood that more consumer price hikes are still in the pipeline.

From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026

To do this, they’d cut a small chunk of the horsehoof mushroom that grows on dead birch trees, and set fire to it, then blown it out so that it was just shouldering.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• accept
• assume