Nearby words
shrub, shrub layer, shrubbery, shrubby, shrubby cinquefoil, shrug, shrug off, shrug one's shoulders, shrunk, shrunken, sht.
Origin of shrug
1350–1400; (v.) Middle English schruggen to shudder, shrug < ?; (noun) late Middle English shrugge a tug, pull, derivative of the v.
Related formsun·shrug·ging, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for shrug off (1 of 2)
shrug off
verb (tr, adverb)
to minimize the importance of; dismiss
to get rid of
to wriggle out of or push off (clothing)
British Dictionary definitions for shrug off (2 of 2)
shrug
/ (ʃrʌɡ) /
verb shrugs, shrugging or shrugged
to draw up and drop (the shoulders) abruptly in a gesture expressing indifference, contempt, ignorance, etc
noun
the gesture so made
a woman's short jacket or close-fitting cardigan
Word Origin for shrug
C14: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with shrug off
shrug off
Minimize the importance of, as in That nasty review didn't bother him at all; he just shrugged it off. [Early 1900s]
Get rid of, as in She managed to shrug off her drowsiness and keep driving. [Mid-1900s]
Wriggle out of a garment, as in He shrugged off his coat. [First half of 1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.