shrug

1 of 2

verb

ˈshrəg 

especially Southern ˈsrəg

shrugged; shrugging

intransitive verb

: to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty

transitive verb

: to lift or contract (the shoulders) especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty

shrug

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act of shrugging

2

: a woman's small waist-length or shorter jacket

Examples of shrug in a Sentence

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

Verb

Many directors would shrug their shoulders and leave things open to interpretation in their movies, having audiences guess what’s next. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

In place of enthusiasm for Blanche’s qualifications, Barr shrugs that Trump would never allow anybody more qualified than Blanche to hold the job. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026

Noun

The film is on track to turn a healthy profit against its $85 million budget, driven almost entirely by that overseas performance, while the domestic numbers read as a shrug. — David Deal, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

And in a place where celebrity passersby and visiting monarchs typically get the same collective shrug, a certain exuberance appeared. — ABC News, 2 July 2026

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

Phrases Containing shrug

• shrug off

Rhymes for shrug

• chug
• doug
• drug
• dug
• hug
• jug
• lug
• mug
• plug
• pug
• rug
• rugg

Kids Definition

shrug

verb

ˈshrəg

shrugged; shrugging

: to draw or hunch up the shoulders usually to express doubt, uncertainty, or lack of interest

shrug noun