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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Health and sleep insights feel genuinely useful when planning recovery, and the titanium build shrugs off scrapes. Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025 And my sources at Google shrug off Microsoft’s attempts, given the stickiness of their product. Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 For critics, the pattern has laid bare the limits of the 2012 STOCK Act, which requires trades to be reported within weeks but imposes penalties so light that they are often shrugged off. Nik Popli, Time, 2 Sep. 2025 Indonesia still ranks among the more stable emerging markets, Howe said, shrugging off impact from the demonstrations as a near-term setback. Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shrug off

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shrug off was in 1902

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrug off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrug%20off. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

shrug off

verb
1
: to brush aside as not important
2
: to take off (a garment) by wriggling out
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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