shrug

1 of 2

verb

ˈshrəg 

 especially Southern  ˈsrəg

shrugged; shrugging

intransitive verb

: to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty

transitive verb

: to lift or contract (the shoulders) especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty

shrug

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act of shrugging

2

: a woman's small waist-length or shorter jacket

Examples of shrug in a Sentence

Verb

I asked if he wanted to go out to dinner, and he just shrugged.

He just shrugged his shoulders.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As of late the artist has been experimenting with many different styles ranging from bodysuits worn with furry knee-high boots to curve-hugging dresses paired with a cheetah print shrugged cardigan. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Feb. 2025

Sheeran smiled at the crowd and shrugged before ending his show. —Janelle Ash, Fox News, 10 Feb. 2025

Noun

To drive the point home, the Redditor then stopped the car, mimicked her exaggerated shrug and gave a big smile. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Trump's inspectors general firings generate some shrugs Trump's ongoing civil service shakeup saw more than a dozen inspectors general booted from their posts across the federal government Friday. —Avery Lotz, Axios, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English schruggen

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shrug

• shrug off

Kids Definition

shrug

verb

ˈshrəg

shrugged; shrugging

: to draw or hunch up the shoulders usually to express doubt, uncertainty, or lack of interest

shrug noun