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

Despite a brief earnings dip, the stock shrugged off the biggest tech selloff since Covid last week, a bear market in semiconductors, and renewed anxiety around interest-rate hikes, to extend its 2026 rally to 30% and a new all-time high. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026

Real mysteries, like what keeps Rusty in a town and a job that destroyed his family, are shrugged off with portentous metaphors about stories—who has the power to tell them, who gets to rewrite their own. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Nov. 2026

Investors, however, appeared to shrug off that concern -- at least with regard to some tech giants. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026

Haaland shrugged off a question about her various political identities in a recent interview with The Associated Press. — Terry Tang, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 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