shrug off

verb

shrugged off; shrugging off; shrugs off

transitive verb

1

: to shake off

shrugging off sleep

2

: to brush aside : minimize

shrugs off the problem

3

: to remove (a garment) by wriggling out

Synonyms

• blink (at)
• brush (aside or off)
• condone
• discount
• disregard
• excuse
• forgive
• gloss (over)
• gloze (over)
• ignore
• overlook
• overpass
• paper over
• pardon
• pass over
• remit
• whitewash
• wink (at)

Examples of shrug off in a Sentence

an administration that was willing to shrug off the problem

she shrugged off her coat and hung it up neatly

Recent Examples on the Web

Investors mostly shrugged off a weaker-than-expected gain in December retail sales and a higher-than-expected jump in weekly unemployment claims. —Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025

Stocks shrugged off inflation concerns U.S. stocks eked out a small gain on Wednesday even though the 10-year Treasury yield touched to its highest since April following the release of the Fed’s minutes. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025

That said, not all managers are able to shrug off his comments. —Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024

For those who did report telling a superior, some said their claims were ignored or shrugged off. —Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shrug off

verb

1

: to brush aside as not important

2

: to take off (a garment) by wriggling out