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
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Asked about those critics who have negatively compared his designs to those of Valentino Garavani, Michele shrugged.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
For YouTube, the loss could be written off with a shoulder shrug.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrug
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Verb
When prodded about the inevitable backlash to his more expensive proposals, Mamdani shrugged.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Asked about those critics who have negatively compared his designs to those of Valentino Garavani, Michele shrugged.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
Shane Brennan, a sports reporter for The Irish Independent, one of the nation’s largest newspapers, shrugs.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
For YouTube, the loss could be written off with a shoulder shrug.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 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 17 Oct. 2025.
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