should on

verb

To impose judgment on (oneself or others) by telling them what they should do.

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Meanings

verbshould on (third-person singular simple present shoulds on, present participle shoulding on, simple past and past participle shoulded on)

present singular third person shoulds on · participle present shoulding on · participle past shoulded on · past shoulded on

  1. UScolloquialTo impose judgment on (oneself or others) by telling them what they should do.

    2014, Jan Johnson, Invitation to the Jesus Life: Experiments in Christlikeness As we join Jesus in death to self, we stop "shoulding" on people and telling them what to do: You should read this book; you should go to this conference.

    1 more example

    Shoulding on yourself keeps you imprisoned in other people's beliefs and it makes you a puppet on a string […]

    2009, Ecallaw Leachim, Ratology: Way of the Undamned, page 100

Origin

Attributed to Albert Ellis (1913–2007), American psychologist and psychotherapist; perhaps intended to evoke shit on.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

should on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/should%20on

MLA

“should on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/should%20on. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “should on,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/should%20on.

Source: should on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.