- [countable] either of the two parts of the body between the top of each arm and the neck
- your left/right shoulder
- a tall man with broad shoulders
- over somebody's shoulder He slung the bag over his shoulder.
- He looked back over his shoulder.
- on somebody's shoulder He carried the child on his shoulders.
- I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
- She tapped him on the shoulder.
- around somebody's shoulder He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
- She shrugged her shoulders (= showing that she didn't know or care).
- an off-the-shoulder dress (= that does not cover the shoulders)
- a shoulder injury
- I have to have shoulder surgery.
Collocations Physical appearancePhysical appearance- A person may be described as having:
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/crooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(British English) ginger/grey hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/centre(British English) parting
- a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/slim/slender figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodya2- He hunched his shoulders against the cold wind.
- Her shoulders lifted in a vague shrug.
- His broad shoulders heaved with sobs.
- His frozen shoulder has stopped him from playing tennis.
- In an aggressive situation, we stand tall and square our shoulders.
- Inhale, drop your shoulders and raise your chest.
- Keep the feet shoulder width apart.
- My shoulders dropped with relief.
- Roll your shoulders forward and take a deep breath.
- She was crouched with her head forward and her shoulders bent.
- The child sat on her father's shoulders to watch the parade go by.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- broad
- huge
- muscled
- …
- shrug
- hunch
- drop
- …
- be bent
- be bowed
- be stooped
- …
- on somebody’s shoulders
- (in adjectives) having the type of shoulders mentioned
- broad-shouldered
- [countable] the part of a piece of clothing that covers the shoulder
- a jacket with padded shoulders
- There was snow on the shoulders of his heavy black coat.
- [uncountable, countable] shoulder (of something) meat from the top part of one of the front legs of an animal that has four legsTopics Foodb1
- [countable] shoulder (of something) a part of something, such as a bottle or mountain, that is like a shoulder in shape
- The village lay just around the shoulder of the hill.
- [countable] (North American English) an area of ground at the side of a road where vehicles can stop in an emergency
- No shoulder for next 5 miles (= on a notice).
part of body
-shouldered
clothing
meat
of mountain/bottle, etc.
side of road
Word OriginOld English sculdor, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch schouder and German Schulter.
Idioms
See shoulder in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee shoulder in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe/stand head and shoulders above somebody/something
- to be much better than other people or things
- His performance stood head and shoulders above the rest.
be looking over your shoulder
- to be anxious and have the feeling that somebody is going to do something unpleasant or harmful to you
give somebody the cold shoulder
- (informal) to treat somebody in a way that is not friendly see also cold-shoulder
have a chip on your shoulder (about something)
- (informal) to be sensitive about something that happened in the past and become easily offended if it is mentioned because you think that you were treated unfairly
- He has a real chip on his shoulder about not being chosen for the team.
have a good head on your shoulders
- to be a sensible person
(have) an old head on young shoulders
- used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age
on somebody’s shoulders
- if blame, guilt, etc. is on somebody’s shoulders, they must take responsibility for it
- Stop trying to put the blame on somebody else’s shoulders.
put your shoulder to the wheel
- to start working very hard at a particular task
- Everyone is going to have to put their shoulder to the wheel.
rub shoulders with somebody
(North American English also rub elbows with somebody)
- to meet and spend time with a famous person, socially or as part of your job
- He’s rubbing shoulders with stars all the time.
- She had been rubbing elbows with celebrities.
a shoulder to cry on
- used to describe a person who listens to your problems and gives you sympathy
- He was a fatherly shoulder to cry on when things went wrong.
shoulder to shoulder (with somebody)
- physically close to somebody
- The large crowd stood shoulder to shoulder in the stands.
- The route of the procession was lined with police officers standing shoulder to shoulder.
- as one group that has the same aims, opinions, etc.Topics Opinion and argumentc2
straight from the shoulder
- if you say something straight from the shoulder, you are being very honest and direct, even if what you are saying is critical
Check pronunciation:
shoulder