shrug
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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the movement of raising and contracting the shoulders.
-
a short sweater or jacket that ends above or at the waistline.
verb phrase
verb
noun
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the gesture so made
-
a woman's short jacket or close-fitting cardigan
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has shruggedperfect 3rd person singular
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have shruggedperfect
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has been shruggingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am shruggingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been shruggingperfect progressive
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is shruggingprogressive 3rd person singular
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shruggingparticiple
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shrugssingular 3rd person
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are shruggingprogressive
Past
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had shruggedperfect
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was shruggingprogressive singular
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had been shruggingperfect progressive
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shruggedparticiple
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were shruggingprogressive plural
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shruggedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of shrug
1350–1400; (v.) Middle English schruggen to shudder, shrug < ?; (noun) late Middle English shrugge a tug, pull, derivative of the v.
Explanation
To shrug is to raise your shoulders slightly, often to show that you're unsure or indifferent, like when you don't know the answer to a question. A shrug is a gesture that can convey a lot without words. You might shrug if you're uncertain about the plans a friend is suggesting. You may also find yourself shrugging in response to a question that you don't know the answer to or one that you don't care enough about to answer. A shrug can suggest indifference to a person or situation that you might normally find stressful, showing that you have simply decided it's not worth getting worked up over.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“That’s what I do,” Misiorowski said with a shrug.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
At least three movies have someone saying, “That’s life,” with a shrug.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
After a period when oil prices—and therefore other assets—would respond to Trump’s every utterance, now the reaction is largely a shrug.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
Nancy Marzouk felt she didn’t get the respect she deserved as a sales executive in previous jobs, and she didn’t shrug it off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
I tug at the bottom of my running shorts, which suddenly seem way too short, and Jonah shrugs the most infuriating shrug in the history of shoulders.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
