shoulder
Use Shoulder in a sentence
dər noun
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. See diag. under horse.
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.
Often, shoulders. Informal. 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.
a.
the end surface or surfaces of a piece from which a tenon or tenons project.
b.
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. See diag. under type.
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. Compare soft shoulder.
17.
18.
verb (used with object)
19.
to push with or as if with the shoulder, especially roughly: to shoulder someone aside.
20.
to take upon, support, or carry on or as if on the shoulder or shoulders: He shouldered his knapsack and walked on.
21.
to assume as a responsibility: to shoulder the expense.
00:10
Shoulder
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms 22.
to push with or as if with the shoulder: to shoulder through a crowd.
23.
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.
24.
25.
rub shoulders with, to come into association with; mingle with: As a social worker in one of the worst slum areas, she rubs shoulders with the poor and the helpless.
26.
shoulder arms, Military.
a.
to place a rifle muzzle upward on the right or left shoulder, with the buttstock in the corresponding hand.
b.
the command to shoulder arms.
27.
shoulder to shoulder, side by side; with united effort: The volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder with the natives in harvesting the crops.
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English sholder, s(c)hulder, Old English sculdor; cognate with Dutch schouder, German Schulter; (v.) Middle English shulderen, derivative of the noun
before 900; (noun) Middle English sholder, s(c)hulder, Old English sculdor; cognate with Dutch schouder, German Schulter; (v.) Middle English shulderen, derivative of the noun
Related forms
out·shoul·der, verb (used with object)
re·shoul·der, verb (used with object)
un·shoul·dered, adjective
Synonyms
21. bear, undertake, carry.
21. bear, undertake, carry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To shoulder
Collins
World English Dictionary
shoulder (ˈʃəʊldə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 shoulder to cry on a person one turns to for sympathy with one's troubles |
| 13. | informal give someone the cold shoulder |
| a. to treat someone in a cold manner; snub | |
| b. to ignore or shun someone | |
| 14. | informal put one's shoulder to the wheel to work very hard |
| 15. | rub shoulders with See rub |
| 16. | shoulder to shoulder |
| a. side by side or close together | |
| b. in a corporate effort | |
| —vb | |
| 17. | (tr) to bear or carry (a burden, responsibility, etc) as if on one's shoulders |
| 18. | to push (something) with or as if with the shoulder |
| 19. | (tr) to lift or carry on the shoulders |
| 20. | military shoulder arms to bring the rifle vertically close to the right side with the muzzle uppermost and held at the trigger guard |
| [Old English sculdor; related to Old High German sculterra] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
shoulder
O.E. sculdor, from W.Gmc. *skuldro (cf. M.Du. scouder, Du. schouder, O.Fris. skoldere, M.L.G. scholder, O.H.G. scultra, Ger. Schulter), of unknown origin, perhaps related to shield. Meaning "edge of the road" is attested from 1933. The verb is first attested c.1300 with
sense "to push with the shoulder;" meaning "take a burden" first recorded 1582. Cold shoulder (Neh. ix:29) translates L. humerum recedentum dare in Vulgate (but see alternative explanation under cold).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
shoulder shoul·der (shōl'dər)
n.
The joint connecting the arm with the torso.
The part of the human body between the neck and upper arm.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
shoulder
In addition to the idiom beginning with shoulder, also see 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
shoulder
in anatomy, the joint between the arm, or forelimb, and the trunk, together with the adjacent tissue, particularly the tissue over the shoulder blade, or scapula. The shoulder, or pectoral, girdle is composed of the clavicles (collarbones) and the scapulae (shoulder blades). In humans the clavicles join the sternum (breastbone) medially and the scapulae laterally; the scapulae, however, are joined to the trunk only by muscles. In many cursorial (running) mammals the clavicles are reduced or no longer present, which permits free movement of the humerus (upper arm bone) in a forward direction. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, a ball-and-socket joint in which the humerus is recessed into the scapula. The flexibility of the shoulder has permitted various locomotor adaptations, such as digging (in moles), running (in antelopes), brachiation (in gibbons), and flight (in birds).
Learn more about shoulder with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
With each stretch, swing a little higher, until you reach shoulder height.
Goats and pigs scramble out of our way, seeking safety on the shoulder of the road.
But in turtles, the ribs grow over the shoulder blades and fuse to form the upper shell.
It was the last bit of a boned and rolled shoulder that was retrieved from the freezer.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
