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

As for touch-screen controls, assuming this debuts, this will be a massive about-face for Apple, which for ages has shrugged aside the effectiveness and necessity of touch screens on laptops. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026

The video is, to some extent, a sign of how quickly AI is evolving and how fast viewers are getting accustomed to its wonders that the chapter is being met with a collective diss and shrug. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026

Noun

The movie ends with a kind of shrug, which is one of its best qualities. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2026

Reese’s top was paired with a long sleeve bolero shrug and a glossy croc-print leather skirt featuring a slit. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 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