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

Markets shrugged off a rise in first-time jobless claims last week to 223,000, a six-week high driven by Californians displaced due to the wildfires. —Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025

Julian Alvarez showed superb determination and technique to shrug off much bigger defender Jonathan Tah and fire a shot low into the net. —Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

And some members are shrugging off Trump’s inauguration elevating the tech CEOs. —Emily Brooks, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025

Officially, brands executives continue to display confidence that big luxury will shrug off the 2024 downturn as a cyclical one. —Stéphane Jg Girod, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

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