Collocations for "shoulder"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "shoulder" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
shoulder
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- (has) [wide, broad, strong, hunched] shoulders
- your [left, right] shoulder
- was hunching his shoulders over his [work, book]
- have some pain in my shoulder
- [injured, hurt] her shoulder [playing, hitting]
- [threw, carried, slung] the backpack over one shoulder
- put her hand on his shoulder
- put his arm around her shoulders
- tapped him on the shoulder
- [rubbed, massaged] her shoulders
- shrugged his shoulders
- [looked, glanced] (back) over her shoulder
- carve a shoulder of [lamb, mutton]
- [wanted, needed, offered] a shoulder to cry on
- the [duty, responsibility] rests on our shoulders
- [fight, work] shoulder to shoulder
- idiom: gave [him, her friend] the cold shoulder
- idiom: was rubbing shoulders with [the stars, celebrities, royalty]
- idiom: put your shoulder to the wheel
- idiom: [speak, talk] straight from the shoulder
- was [driving, parked] on the shoulder
- there is no shoulder during the construction
- a [fractured, broken] shoulder bone
- suffering from shoulder pain
- have a shoulder injury
- carrying a shoulder bag
- marks from the shoulder straps
- wears shoulder pads
- shoulder the [blame, guilt, burden, responsibility, expense, cost]
- [forced, reluctant, hesitant] to shoulder the [blame]
- shouldered his [knapsack, backpack, rifle, baby]
- shouldered (his way) through the [crowd, people]
- shouldered (her way) past (them)
'shoulder' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aching
- acute
- ailing
- arrow
- backpack
- bag
- biting
- blade
- bone
- break
- broken
- bullet
- burrow
- butterfly
- canteen
- caress
- chip
- chop
- chuck
- clap
- click
- clip
- clout
- clutch
- cold
- confuse
- cradle
- crook
- cry
- curly
- cutting
- displacement
- dodgy
- drape
- flinch
- freeze
- gently
- gesture
- glance
- graze
- grip
- hair
- hang
- injured
- ink
- joint
- kick
- kink
- lame
- leaning