idiom · formal
shoulder the burden
UK/ˈʃəʊldər ðə ˈbɜːdən/US/ˈʃoʊldər ðə ˈbɜːrdən/SHOUL·der·the·BUR·den
to accept responsibility for something difficult or unpleasant
Examples
“When the company failed, managers had to shoulder the burden of layoffs.”
“Families often shoulder the burden of care for elderly relatives.”
“Taxpayers should not have to shoulder the burden of corporate mistakes.”
Band 8 sentence
“Rather than passing the costs to consumers, the firm should shoulder the burden of environmental remediation.”
Collocations
- shoulder the burden of
- shoulder responsibility
Word family
Common mistakes
shoulder burden→shoulder the burden
shoulder the burden to→shoulder the burden of
Say it for a higher band
5take responsibility→6assume responsibility→7+shoulder the burden
Synonyms
assume responsibility
bear the cost
Easily confused
bear the brunt
“The small towns bore the brunt of the industrial decline.”
Related words
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