# shoulder

/ˈʃoʊɫdɝ/ (US) · /ʃˈəʊldɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shoulder
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. body part

noun · CEFR A2

the part of your body where your arm joins your neck and trunk.

For teachers: the joint or area of the body between the base of the neck and the upper arm.

- He carried the heavy bag over his left shoulder to keep his hands free.
- The athlete suffered a minor dislocation of the shoulder during the final minutes of the championship match.

### 2. roadside

noun · CEFR B2 · American English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. object part

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

### 4. to accept responsibility

verb · CEFR B2

to accept a difficult job or responsibility.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. to push through

verb · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- He carried the heavy bag on his left shoulder.
- The athlete suffered a minor injury to her shoulder during the final minutes of the championship game.
- The surgeon explained that the shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the human body, which also makes it particularly susceptible to dislocation and strain.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.