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

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 The Obama-Biden clique’s approach to American statecraft plainly prefers granting inducements to Iran that benefit its terror apparatus abroad, while shrugging off any oversight at home and tarring the critics as warmongers. The Editors, National Review, 13 May 2024 Cavan Sullivan shrugs off words like prodigy, phenom or even wonderkid, all things he’s been called at just 14. Anne M. Peterson, Fortune, 9 May 2024 But Cook and Zuckerberg are shrugging off the failures. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 3 May 2024 When Barrymore admitted to losing the piece of paper at his house during his September 2022 appearance on her show, the Duplex director cracked jokes, but eventually shrugged off her concern. Shania Russell, EW.com, 1 May 2024 In a park in the city center, close to a monument dedicated to children killed in the conflict — its base strewn with teddy bears — a pair of pensioners named Raisa and Nataliya shrugged off the idea of hardship. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024 If the law of war is to survive today’s existential challenges, the United States and its allies need to treat it not as an optional constraint to be adjusted or shrugged off as needed but as an unmoving pillar of the global legal order. Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024 Gandhi is a fidgety orator, unable to shrug off the routine disturbances of a rally. Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024 During conference panels, interviews and earnings report calls, most AI company executives shrug off concerns about job losses. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrug off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shrug off was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near shrug off

Cite this Entry

“Shrug off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrug%20off. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

shrug off

verb
1
: to brush aside as not important
2
: to take off (a garment) by wriggling out
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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