shoulder to shoulder

Idioms  

1. In close proximity or cooperation, as in The volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder in the effort to rescue the miners. This expression originated in the late 1500s in the military, at first signifying troops in close formation. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shoulder to shoulder

“They were shoulder to shoulder, bellies to backs,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

“We were living shoulder to shoulder in the suburbs and thought that’s not how we want our kids to grow up,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026

"There was Liam Tuohy of Newcastle, Noel Payton of Leeds and Dickie Whittaker of Chelsea, all three of them standing together, shoulder to shoulder, for the national anthem," Charlie said.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026

Aranibar joined more than 200 people standing shoulder to shoulder for the launch of a Downey ICE Watch group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026

The room smells vaguely of wood- smoke and sweat, and it is jammed with bleary- eyed people, Africans and Europeans sitting shoulder to shoulder.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• collectively
• in tandem
• jointly
• simultaneously
• together