shoulder

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun American English

n. the edge of a road where cars can stop in an emergency.

n. the emergency area or paved strip alongside a main road or highway.

“If your car breaks down, pull over onto the shoulder and call for help.”

“The driver was forced to park on the narrow shoulder of the motorway while waiting for the recovery vehicle to arrive.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Technical

n. a part of an object that looks like a shoulder, such as the top of a bottle.

n. a transitional part of an object between a narrower section and a wider body, such as on a bottle or a musical instrument.

“The label was stuck right on the shoulder of the wine bottle.”

“The luthier carefully inspected the shoulder of the violin for any hairline fractures in the wood grain.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to accept a difficult job or responsibility.

v. to take on or accept a burden, duty, or financial obligation.

“As the manager, she had to shoulder the blame for the team's mistake.”

“The young CEO had to shoulder the immense pressure of saving the company from bankruptcy during the economic downturn.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to push someone or something out of the way using your shoulders.

v. to push or jostle someone or something using physical force from the shoulders.

“He had to shoulder his way through the crowded station to catch the train.”

“The protesters tried to shoulder their way past the security cordon to reach the entrance of the building.”