Dictionary.com
definitions

RELATED CONTENT

🤷 - person shrugging emoji - What does 🤷 mean?Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
mask offRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

dismiss, disregard, ignore, minimize

Nearby words

  1. shrub,
  2. shrub layer,
  3. shrubbery,
  4. shrubby,
  5. shrubby cinquefoil,
  6. shrug off,
  7. shrug one's shoulders,
  8. shrunk,
  9. shrunken,
  10. 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

shrug off

verb (tr, adverb)

to minimize the importance of; dismiss
to get rid of
to wriggle out of or push off (clothing)

shrug

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
Word Origin and History for shrug off
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with shrug off

shrug off

1

Minimize the importance of, as in That nasty review didn't bother him at all; he just shrugged it off. [Early 1900s]

2

Get rid of, as in She managed to shrug off her drowsiness and keep driving. [Mid-1900s]

3

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.