1
general::
verb accept the responsibility for sth VERB + SHOULDER have to, must She had to shoulder the burden of childcare. | be willing/unwilling to He was unwilling to shoulder this responsibility alone. push sb/sth with your shoulder ADV. roughly We were shouldered roughly out of the way. | aside, out of the way PHRASES shoulder your way past/through sb/sth She shouldered her way through the crowd., noun part of the body between the neck and the arm ADJ. dislocated, frozen His frozen shoulder has stopped him playing tennis. SHOULDER + NOUN injury | blade, bones, joint, muscle, socket The bullet hit him squarely between the shoulder blades. | height, level | width Keep the feet shoulder width apart. | harness, sling, strap | injury PREP. over your ~ He slung the sack over his shoulder and set off. PHRASES a pat on the shoulder He gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. | shoulder to shoulder The route of the procession was lined with police officers standing shoulder to shoulder. | tap sb on the shoulder I tapped the man on the shoulder and asked him to move. shoulders: the part between the two shoulders ADJ. big, broad, great, huge, manly, massive, muscled, muscular, powerful, strong, wide | delicate, shapely, slim | narrow, thin | square | round | bony | bowed | bare | tense, tight | tired VERB + SHOULDER shrug When I asked him why he'd done it he just shrugged his shoulders. | hunch He hunched his shoulders against the cold wind. SHOULDER + VERB be bent, be bowed, be stooped She was crouched with her head forward and her shoulders bent. | droop, drop, sag, slump My shoulders dropped with relief. | lift, shrug Her shoulders lifted in a vague shrug. | heave, shake, twitch His enormous shoulders heaved with sobs. | stiffen, tighten | relax PREP. on your ~s The child sat on her father's shoulders to watch the parade go by.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
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.
American Heritage Idioms
3
general::
shoulder
verbs
shrug your shoulders
(= raise them to show that you do not know or care about something )
• Susan just shrugged her shoulders and said nothing.
hunch your shoulders
(= raise your shoulders and bend them forwards slightly )
• He hunched his shoulders against the rain.
look/glance over your shoulder
(= look behind you )
• He glanced over his shoulder and grinned at me.
sb’s shoulders shake
(= because they are crying or laughing )
• His shoulders were shaking and tears of laughter were running down his face.
sb’s shoulders slump/droop/sag
(= move downwards because they are sad or tired )
sb’s shoulders heave
(= move up and down because they are crying or breathing deeply )
• She turned her back again, her shoulders heaving, her eyes blind with tears.
straighten/square your shoulders
(= stand with your shoulders straight, in a determined way )
• She squared her shoulders and knocked on the door.
adjectives
broad/wide
• He was of medium height, with broad shoulders.
strong/powerful
• He had powerful shoulders and a thick neck.
massive/huge
• Dean shrugged his massive shoulders.
narrow/slim
• Her dark hair spilled over her narrow shoulders.
thin/bony shoulders
• She put her arm around the girl’s thin shoulders.
transnet.ir