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

This suggests that Amodei believed Anthropic had more leverage on the Pentagon than the Pentagon had on it — the CEO of a company founded just five years ago shrugging off a threat from the world’s most powerful and best-funded entity. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026

The San Antonio Spurs shrugged off the absence of Victor Wembanyama. —Christian Clark, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026

But Marcus Smith, speaking on NFL Live, completely shrugged off the notion that Bain’s arm length should impact his draft stock. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026

Tomás celebrated shirtless, holding a corner flag aloft to the crowd, and shrugged off the inevitable yellow card. —ABC News, 23 Apr. 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