shrug off
Britishverb
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to minimize the importance of; dismiss
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to get rid of
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to wriggle out of or push off (clothing)
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Minimize the importance of, as in That nasty review didn't bother him at all; he just shrugged it off . [Early 1900s]
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Get rid of, as in She managed to shrug off her drowsiness and keep driving . [Mid-1900s]
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Wriggle out of a garment, as in He shrugged off his coat . [First half of 1900s]
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.
The stock market has tended to shrug off other military eruptions over the following years, even when share prices fell sharply upon the outbreak of hostilities.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
Nvidia stock was rising ahead of the open Monday as it appeared set to shrug off pressure across the tech sector.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
It’s warm and hearty and immediately satisfying, the thing you want the moment you shrug off your coat and kick your boots into a corner.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026
Market participants have tended to shrug off geopolitical turmoil, such as disruptions in the Middle East in the past few years that included escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026
I try to shrug off our conversation like it doesn’t matter.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
