Shoulder Definition: Meaning, Simple Explanation, and Examples

Rote memorization doesn’t promise that you will remember the word for the rest of your life and be able to use it in context if you didn’t learn its usage. Here are a few samples you will find helpful:

It is tiring to use only “shoulder” in text or while speaking, and your audience may not get the whole picture of what you are saying, so synonyms are important for you.

Related nouns: scapula edge clavicle

Synonyms (contextual): (upper) arm joint deltoid area

Common collocations: tap a shoulder left shoulder strong shoulder

Learning a word requires the understanding of how it combines with other words, in addition to learning how to say “shoulder.” So, here, you will find the most typical usage with various parts of speech:

With adjectives: broad shoulder thin shoulder tight shoulder

With verbs: push a shoulder train a shoulder lift a shoulder

With nouns (noun + noun): shoulder bag shoulder stretch shoulder rest

Idioms are the essential part of every content you consume, from dialogues in movies to books and even daily talking. Let’s learn some of the most common ones:

• A shoulder to cry on — is a famous phrase used by people to describe the process of comforting another person having a hard time.

  It’s worth being friends with someone who has a shoulder to cry on.

• Act shoulder to shoulder — accomplish something side by side, working as one organism (usually to improve the quality of results).

    It was the hardest work project, so we decided to act shoulder to shoulder.

• Cold shoulder — is used to describe the situation when you or someone else is ignoring someone.

    Mary didn’t answer the phone. She is giving me a cold shoulder again.

Would you like to learn this word in more contexts? We prepared some engaging exercises — the most popular ones — to make your learning process easier and funnier. 

When learning new words for your vocabulary, it is essential to expand your knowledge with this term written in other languages so that you can remember it better and find out how they differ.

Knowing facts when learning the word “shoulder” brings more than just joy to your studying but makes you more confident for daily speaking and improves your overall knowledge — from common facts to intricate information you will find below:

• Kevin Fast from Canada set a historical moment, supporting 11 people on his shoulders.

  According to Guinness World Records, it happened in 2012, and this record is memorable because the man got 777.9 kg on his shoulders.

• The wildest shoulders worldwide are 112 cm, owned by Angus MacAskill.

  He was a giant who died at the age of 38, and for now, people are able to visit a museum where all the staff are located within his house.

• Shoulders can tell you when people lie (according to some body language experts.

  It is a psychological perception that when you notice a human does shoulder shrugs while telling you a story or answering questions, they probably don’t tell you the truth.

As this word is widely recognized, you will find it when listening to music, some podcasts, reading articles or books, so here are some sayings that showcase “shoulder” popularity across various content cases.

— M.F. Moonzajer

Explanation: This metaphoric phrase refers to the situation when someone has too much to carry about, as well as struggles with reality, their condition, and so on. That’s why it feels like you are trying to put everything on yourself and handle it on your own.

— Conn Iggulden

Explanation: In this quote, we can see the actual body reaction to some dangerous situation, and how the character handles it.

— Rachel Nicole Wagner

Explanation: This part of a beautiful poem depicts a wish from one person to another that they will be supported tonight, with a “spare pair of shoulders,” which means they can trust their worries to someone else, who can help.