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Glite Dictionary
to keep one's shoulder to the wheel

to keep one's shoulder to the wheel

7.7
To work hard and continue when things are difficult
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : seguir trabajando duro
  • Despite many setbacks, she continued to keep her shoulder to the wheel and eventually succeeded.

Examples

  • If you want to finish this project on time, you'll need to keep your shoulder to the wheel.

  • The team managed to keep their shoulder to the wheel throughout the busy season.

  • You must keep your shoulder to the wheel!

  • She keeps her shoulder to the wheel despite the challenges.

  • Despite numerous challenges, the workers had to keep their shoulder to the wheel if they wanted to meet the deadline.

  • To complete the demanding project, she chose to keep her shoulder to the wheel and not give up.

  • He reminded his team to keep their shoulder to the wheel during the tough times to ensure their success.

Synonyms

to hang in
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
167 3.6

To keep trying and not give up when things are hard

adds the sense of sustained active labour rather than only refusing to quit
to persevere
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
22 5.1

Keep trying to do something even when it is hard

stresses sustained hard effort as well as continued trying under difficulty
to tug
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
22 3.3

To work very hard to reach a goal

focuses more on sustained work under difficulty rather than brief strong effort
to work like a dog
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
8 3.4

Spend a lot of time doing hard, tiring tasks

emphasizes persistent focused effort in difficulty rather than unpaid hardship
to plug away
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
6 5.2

To work slowly and steadily on a difficult task

highlights continuous hard effort especially when difficulties threaten progress
to slog
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
5 6.7

To work hard for a long time on a task that is difficult or tiring

stresses enduring effort during difficulty rather than long slow labour
nose to the grindstone
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
3 6.3

To work hard for a long time without stopping

is about steady hard labour during difficulty rather than only focused attention
to plow ahead
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • US
3 4.7

Continue doing something even when there are problems

focuses more on steady hard effort rather than only determined continuation
to put one's shoulder to the wheel
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
2 7.5

To start working very hard to reach a goal

focuses on sustained hard effort through difficulty rather than just starting strongly
to keep one's nose to the grindstone
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
1 7.7

To work hard for a long time on a difficult task without stopping

applies to steady effort under general difficulty rather than only tedious tasks
to work like a horse
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
1 3.6

To use a lot of energy to do a hard job for a long time

puts more weight on steady persistence under difficulty rather than sheer energy
to put one's shoulder into
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
1 6.8

To work very hard and use a lot of energy

emphasizes continued hard work under difficulty rather than one energetic push
to keep one's end up
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • UK
1 7.4

Continue doing your part for the team when things are hard

is more general hard persistent effort rather than focusing on personal duties
to keep on pushing through
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
5.1

To continue to try hard even when things are difficult

emphasizes working hard persistently rather than only continuing to try
to push through adversity
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
5.3

To keep trying and do well despite difficult times

emphasizes hard persistent effort even without guaranteeing success
to peg away
vsto keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • UK
8.6

To keep working for a long time on something difficult or boring

stresses active hard labour in difficulty rather than merely slow persistence

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

How Hard

to toil
35 5.3
to keep one's shoulder to the wheel
  • Informal
7.7

Surface Forms

keep one's shoulder to the wheel infinitive
keeping one's shoulder to the wheel present participle
keeps one's shoulder to the wheel third person singular
kept one's shoulder to the wheel past
kept one's shoulder to the wheel past participle

Morphology

keep + one + shoulder + to + the + wheel

The phrase evokes a clear physical image—putting one’s shoulder to a wheel to push—which a learner who knows 'shoulder' and 'wheel' can plausibly map onto exerting effort, so parts give useful clues. However, the meaning is a conventionalized metaphorical extension (not strictly compositional) and relies on knowing the idiomatic mapping, so full comprehension without prior exposure is uncertain.

Etymology

Keep one's shoulder to the wheel comes from a simple image: when a heavy cart or wagon was stuck, people would push with their shoulder against the wheel to make it move. So, 'to keep one's shoulder to the wheel' means 'to work hard and keep going'.