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

Warwick shrugged and pecked at his laptop. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

The street style roundup regular shrugged on a faded blue workman shirt—complete with a retro name-tag patch—over a navy pleated skirt and tank top for a chic outfit that was both effortless and effective. —Freya Drohan, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026

Noun

Put together, the tariff as leverage for Greenland plan will be met with a shrug from Denmark, exporters that hold their prices firm, and Americans once again eating the cost. —Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

There’s less Lou Reed swagger and more Paul Simon melancholy, a survey of modern American accoutrements and spiritual confusion delivered with a shrug. —Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 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