shrug
Americanverb (used with object)
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shrugs,
present (3rd person singular)
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shrugged,
past participle, past
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shrugging
present participle
verb (used without object)
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shrugs,
present (3rd person singular)
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shrugged,
past participle, past
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shrugging
present participle
noun
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shrugs
plural
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the movement of raising and contracting the shoulders.
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a short sweater or jacket that ends above or at the waistline.
verb phrase
verb
noun
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the gesture so made
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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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am shruggingprogressive
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are 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
-
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.
See Examples For:
After getting low and using his strength to shrug centre-back Waldemar Anton off him, Kane rose, slightly adjusting his body to the right.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Given the uptick is largely down to royalties and stronger local currencies, investors will likely shrug off the higher costs guidance, the Peel Hunt analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The fact that it’s an incredibly rare condition that occurs in around one in 1,000 births would have made it easy to shrug it off as an anomaly.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
I would be willing to bet good money that Meta would be able to shrug off any damages, even if they weren’t thrown out on appeal.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
When I went up to pull them over, floundering in the deep snow, they ignored me, tried to shrug away my hand.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
"Homer is 2,800 years old, while the Turkish-Greek border is only a century old," he shrugs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
She shrugs off Maddie getting faint at dance class because she threw up her lunch.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
"The truth is, maybe I just fear the unknown," she shrugs.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In her own matter-of-fact way, Grohl shrugs as she acknowledges the inescapable pressure of her last name.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
“I’ll pass,” I say, and he shrugs amiably, jumps into the plane, and takes off.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
In the past couple of months, equity investors cheered soaring profits at big companies, shrugged off jitters in the bond market and nudged megacap tech shares back near records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Bursting clear of his rivals like they were a technical area, Arteta shrugged off questions over his team's sometimes robust style as well as those who suggested the Gunners were destined to always be runners-up.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Sudeikis shrugged, and, in classic Ted Lasso style, told her he thought she could do it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Shares of Foxconn have rebounded from a first-quarter slump as investors shrugged off geopolitical uncertainties and focused on soaring demand for AI hardware, driven by hyperscalers’ massive investments in recent months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
I shrugged, rolled the magazine into a tight tube, and made a choice.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Micron stock was shrugging off CXMT's claimed advance in smartphone memory but investors might want to spread their bets.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Read: Stocks keep shrugging off rising Treasury yields.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Hegseth, though, is shrugging off the concerns, telling reporters the issue is “completely misrepresented” and that the service members have “everything we can provide them at every single moment.”
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Oil futures settled lower while largely shrugging off developments that would usually be bearish for prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Aven, I told you I don’t ever want to go to the movies,” he said, his eyes blinking rapidly, shoulders shrugging.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
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.
