shuffle off
Britishverb
-
Get rid of, act evasively, as in They've tried to shuffle off public inquiries about the safety of their planes . This usage, dating from about 1600, also appears in the oft-quoted shuffle off this mortal coil , from Shakespeare's Hamlet (3:1), where it means “become freed from the turmoil of life,” that is, “die.”
-
Move away reluctantly, dragging one's feet, as in The prisoners shuffled off to their work detail . [Late 1500s]
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.
Lawrence: Having been there, I was always blown away, when somebody announces their retirement, you expect them to shuffle off into the ether.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
Do not be fooled by suggestions Australia have unveiled a list of geriatrics, ready to shuffle off to a cricketing retirement home, tending the garden in their baggy green caps.
From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025
What is it that we will remember from our lives before we all shuffle off this mortal coil?
From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2023
While some shrews shuffle off this mortal coil in less than 14 months, bowhead whales can swim in Arctic waters for more than two centuries.
From Scientific American • Jan. 31, 2023
A grizzly may chew on a limp form for a minute or two but generally will lose interest and shuffle off.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
