shrug

1 of 2

verb

ˈshrəg How to pronounce shrug (audio)
 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Gabriel shrugged miserably and turned his face away. Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024 When Alphabet introduced it in 2013, people shrugged. Itamar Zur, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
Yet in much of the broader art world, Sun’s winning bid was met with a shrug. Rob Wile, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2024 Ryan shrugs like, whatever, and gives an instruction to one of his workers. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shrug 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of shrug was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near shrug

Cite this Entry

“Shrug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrug. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on shrug

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!