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 of shrug off

• ignore
• forgive
• overlook
• explain
• pass over
• justify

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

For the most part, however, the market shrugged off those arguments and the buying continued. — Andrew Graham, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

The stock market surged over the first half of 2026, shrugging off a war in the Middle East, a historic oil shortage and fear of a bubble in artificial intelligence. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 June 2026

Victories by democratic socialist candidates should not be shrugged off as local stories, but rather the shocking mainstreaming of the extremist fringe. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2026

His campaign shrugged off the unflattering survey data. — Matthew Kelly updated June 26, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shrug off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

shrug off

verb

1

: to brush aside as not important

2

: to take off (a garment) by wriggling out