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shrugged; shrugging
: to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty
: to lift or contract (the shoulders) especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty
Example Sentences
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
Scott Meslow, Vulture, 25 May 2022
Houston fans may shrug at the team's additions at first glance while—to quote Phillies owner John Middleton—stupid money was handed out across the sport.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 19 Dec. 2022
Long-suffering Cowboys fans will shrug their shoulders at this point and say so what.
—Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2022
Back then, even fewer clinicians understood how to handle functional symptoms, and the standard of care was basically to shrug and send the patient home, or shunt them off to therapy.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
Unlike so many other things, France wasn’t prepared to shrug this one off.
—Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 4 Dec. 2022
Few things are more comforting than watching languid actor Jeff Goldblum (best known for playing Dr. Malcolm in the Jurassic Park movies) shrug his way through a series of short documentaries about different subcultures and industries.
—WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022
Thankfully, Ryan always knows how to shrug these moments off!
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 24 Aug. 2022
Garin broke Kyrgios’s serve at love in the opening game and won the first nine points of the match, prompting Kyrgios to shrug his shoulders and start the running dialogue with his box that lasted all afternoon.
—New York Times, 6 July 2022
Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2023
The Bengals quarterback offered the equivalent of a verbal shrug when asked about the comparison and fanfare surrounding the matchup.
—Michael Niziolek, cleveland, 2 Dec. 2022
The continuous upward driving and squeezing motion of the shrug is the opposite.
—Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 2 Aug. 2022
As with all matters involving NBA free agency, the timing of Tucker’s agreement with the 76ers initially was met with as much of a shrug as the timing of Brunson’s agreement.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2022
The death certificate conveyed the same sentiment, a kind of official shrug.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 12 July 2022
Most musicals start the second act with a song that’s, well, somewhat of a shrug — a soundtrack for the shuffle of audiences putting away their phones, settling back into their seats and gradually reentering the story onstage.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022
Alas, the computer gives the 0s-and-1s equivalent of a shrug as to which film that might be.
—Ben Zauzmer, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2022
Purdy’s college teammates process that head-spinning information with a shrug.
—Staff Writer
Follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023
See More
Verb
When global leaders finally shrug and launch their full nuclear arsenals, killing zombies and humans alike, Earth literally ends with a fart.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 25 May 2022
Houston fans may shrug at the team's additions at first glance while—to quote Phillies owner John Middleton—stupid money was handed out across the sport.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 19 Dec. 2022
Long-suffering Cowboys fans will shrug their shoulders at this point and say so what.
—Dallas News, 26 Jan. 2022
Back then, even fewer clinicians understood how to handle functional symptoms, and the standard of care was basically to shrug and send the patient home, or shunt them off to therapy.
—Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 8 Dec. 2022
Unlike so many other things, France wasn’t prepared to shrug this one off.
—Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 4 Dec. 2022
Few things are more comforting than watching languid actor Jeff Goldblum (best known for playing Dr. Malcolm in the Jurassic Park movies) shrug his way through a series of short documentaries about different subcultures and industries.
—WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022
Thankfully, Ryan always knows how to shrug these moments off!
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 24 Aug. 2022
Garin broke Kyrgios’s serve at love in the opening game and won the first nine points of the match, prompting Kyrgios to shrug his shoulders and start the running dialogue with his box that lasted all afternoon.
—New York Times, 6 July 2022
Noun
Rick Carlisle gave the question a bit of a shrug and an eye-roll, already a bit weary of press conferences in which he's constantly being asked about players who aren't available, one in particular.
—Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2023
The Bengals quarterback offered the equivalent of a verbal shrug when asked about the comparison and fanfare surrounding the matchup.
—Michael Niziolek, cleveland, 2 Dec. 2022
The continuous upward driving and squeezing motion of the shrug is the opposite.
—Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 2 Aug. 2022
As with all matters involving NBA free agency, the timing of Tucker’s agreement with the 76ers initially was met with as much of a shrug as the timing of Brunson’s agreement.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2022
The death certificate conveyed the same sentiment, a kind of official shrug.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 12 July 2022
Most musicals start the second act with a song that’s, well, somewhat of a shrug — a soundtrack for the shuffle of audiences putting away their phones, settling back into their seats and gradually reentering the story onstage.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022
Alas, the computer gives the 0s-and-1s equivalent of a shrug as to which film that might be.
—Ben Zauzmer, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2022
Purdy’s college teammates process that head-spinning information with a shrug.
—Staff Writer
Follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Phrases Containing shrug
Dictionary Entries Near shrug
Cite this Entry
“Shrug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrug. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.
Kids Definition
shrug
verbˈshrəg
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
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shrug
Nglish: Translation of shrug for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shrug for Arabic Speakers
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