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
-
the gesture so made
-
a woman's short jacket or close-fitting cardigan
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shrugsimple
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shrugssimple
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have shruggedperfect
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has shruggedperfect
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are shruggingprogressive
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am shruggingprogressive
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is shruggingprogressive
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have been shruggingperfect progressive
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has been shruggingperfect progressive
Past
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shruggedsimple
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had shruggedperfect
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was shruggingprogressive
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were shruggingprogressive
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had been shruggingperfect progressive
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.
This was an early version of the Jordan Shrug, which was enshrined into sports lore the following year, during the first game of the N.B.A.
From The New Yorker • May 11, 2016
Who knows — Kanye, who performs two Hollywood Bowl shows this weekend, has been in Kanye Shrug mode and could easily make his biggest move in the fourth quarter.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2015
Shrug, and say “Well, we tried to give Li’l Kim a chance,” and walk away.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2012
Stocks Shrug Off Earnings, Wait for Bernanke NEW YORK—U.S. stocks wavered, as lagging health-care stocks competed with enthusiasm over second-quarter earnings from financials ahead of testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 21, 2010
"Shrug your shoulders. Puff out your cheeks. Touch your nose and then my finger. Stick out your tongue."
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
