épauler

Senses

1. 1.

   to support; to back up

   to give assistance or help to someone

2. 2.

   to shoulder (a rifle)

   to raise a firearm to one's shoulder in order to aim and fire

Examples

• "Son collègue l'a épaulé pendant tout le projet."

  His colleague supported him throughout the project.

• "Le soldat a épaulé son fusil et a visé la cible."

  The soldier shouldered his rifle and aimed at the target.

• "Je compte sur vous pour m'épauler dans cette entreprise difficile."

  I'm counting on you to back me up in this difficult undertaking.

Usage

Épauler is a common, neutral-register verb. The figurative sense (to support/help) is far more frequent in everyday usage than the literal military sense. Often used with indirect object: épauler quelqu'un.