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
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
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Bohumila shrugged with a look of befuddlement.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
In other words, as Cleveland tore through the league last season, the players responded to most of the milestones reached with a collective shrug and worn axioms about nothing mattering until the playoffs.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrug
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Verb
Safety Jay Ward glances over and shrugs.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Bohumila shrugged with a look of befuddlement.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
For YouTube, the loss could be written off with a shoulder shrug.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
In other words, as Cleveland tore through the league last season, the players responded to most of the milestones reached with a collective shrug and worn axioms about nothing mattering until the playoffs.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrug
Cite this Entry
“Shrug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrug. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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