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

Stocks in recent days largely shrugged off Trump's pledge to impose big tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, America’s three largest trading partners. —Lewis Krauskopf, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024

Asian markets largely shrugged off Trump’s tariff threat. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Asia, 26 Nov. 2024

For Towns, these early-season losses weren’t easy to shrug off. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2024

Crude markets have largely shrugged off a year of conflict in the Middle East, including Israel’s recent retaliatory strike against Iran, as traders grow increasingly confident that oil shipments from the region will remain unaffected. —Grant Smith, Fortune, 3 Nov. 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