Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use shoulder in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Shoulder means the part of the human torso forming a relatively horizontal surface running away from the neck. Example: “The parrot was sitting on Steve's shoulder.”

Examples of shoulder by meaning

nounThe part of the human torso forming a relatively horizontal surface running away from the neck.

  • The parrot was sitting on Steve's shoulder.
  • With just the turn of a shoulder she indicated the water front, where, at the end of the dock on which they stood, lay the good ship, Mount Vernon, river packet, the black smoke already pouring from her stacks.1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company...

nounA usually unsealed strip of land bordering a road, where vehicles can drive or park in an emergency.

  • He stopped the car on the shoulder of the highway to change the flat tire.
  • The shoulders are graded and the verges cleared well back to lessen the chances of hitting stray stock.2000, Bob Foster, Birdum or Bust!, Henley Beach, SA: Seaview Press, page 129

nounThe part of a wave that has not yet broken.

  • You see you're going to make it into the safety of the shoulder.1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer

nounA season or a time of day when there is relatively little air traffic.

  • the determination of noise-induced disturbances during the shoulder hours and their consequences for the consecutive sleep period2003, Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem (Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 29 June-3 July 2003)...

verbTo bully, manipulate or pull rank on (somebody).

  • He shouldered me out of my own band.

verbTo put (something) on one's shoulders.

  • Early in the morning they shouldered light packs, took their rifles, crossed the big draw, and entered the timber where was the deadfall.1922, A. M. Chisholm, A Thousand a Plate
  • Like a power clean, shouldering a sandbag — lifting it from the floor to your shoulder in one explosive movement — requires a coordinated effort from your core, upper body, and legs.2008 June, Men's Health, The World's Simplest Workout, volume 23, number 5, page 120

verbTo place (something) against one's shoulders.

  • All three sets are nicely sculptured along the bottom to prevent interference when shouldering your gun with proper shooting form.2004, Chris Christian, Larry Sterett, Rick Sapp, The Gun Digest Book of Trap & Skeet Shooting, page 221

verbTo bear a burden, as a financial obligation.

  • The shareholders were then shouldering a burden of liability out of proportion to their mere ownership of theoretical fractions of the business.1950, Colin Arthur Cooke, Corporation, Trust and Company: An Essay in Legal History, page 111

More sentences with shoulder

  • Suddenly, in the crowd, I felt a touch at my shoulder.From the entry touch
  • Her curly hair trailed along her shoulders and down her back.From the entry trail
  • The duo of pork consisted of a smoked sausage and a shoulder joint.From the entry duo
  • His father's affection never went further than a handshake or a clap on the shoulder.From the entry clap
  • Give Mary a pat on the shoulder to get her attention.From the entry pat
  • When Steve felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around.From the entry tap
  • This exercise is going to destroy all parts of your shoulders.From the entry destroy
  • The hunter fired at the geese and missed, then shrugged his shoulders and chambered another cartridge.From the entry chamber
  • Her left sleeve has more pooch at the shoulder than the right.From the entry pooch
  • I felt something touch my shoulder; it was gentle and a little slimy.From the entry gentle
  • I put my shoulder into the door, but it did not yield.From the entry yield
  • She was head and shoulders better than any of her rivals.From the entry head and shoulders
  • He was head and shoulders above the others in the law firm.From the entry head and shoulders
  • He hunched up his shoulders and stared down at the ground.From the entry hunch
  • "It's your turn," she reminded me, giving me a prod on the shoulder.From the entry prod
  • I blew out my shoulder when I grabbed a heavy box in a careless way.From the entry blow out
  • My shoulder blew out when I grabbed a heavy box in a careless way.From the entry blow out
  • On this gown, flutters of red on the shoulders and arms provide visual interest.From the entry flutter
  • The pain in my shoulder flares up when I turn my head.From the entry flare up
  • My shoulder was dislocated. It was agony to have it put to rights.From the entry to rights
  • He said it, and it is true — over the left shoulder.From the entry over the left shoulder
  • My blood tests came back all clear, which was a huge weight off my shoulders.From the entry weight off someone's shoulders
  • This is a cutthroat industry. You have to constantly look over your shoulder.From the entry look over one's shoulder
  • That dude just alpha-ed up on this police officer by shoulder checking him. Insane!From the entry alpha up
  • The policeman's hand fell detainingly on my shoulder. "Just a moment, sir!" he said.From the entry detainingly
  • 'Go climb up your thumb,' Galbraith told her, over his shoulder.From the entry climb up one's thumb
  • It's all about having a good head on your shoulders.From the entry head
  • The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder.From the entry on
  • They stood next to each other, their shoulders touching.From the entry touch

Meaning of shoulder

  1. noun The part of the human torso forming a relatively horizontal surface running away from the neck.
  2. noun The joint between the arm and the torso, sometimes including the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
  3. noun A cut of meat comprising the upper joint of the foreleg and the surrounding muscle.

Full definition of shoulder

Questions about shoulder in a sentence

How do you use shoulder in a sentence?
Shoulder is used as a noun and verb. For example: “The parrot was sitting on Steve's shoulder.”
What is a short sentence with shoulder?
“The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder.”
What does shoulder mean?
Shoulder means the part of the human torso forming a relatively horizontal surface running away from the neck.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: shoulder (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use shoulder in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/shoulder. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.