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

Others just shrug, throw all their knives in the dishwasher week after week, and then toss them into a drawer. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026

Almost no one shrugs if off as a nonissue. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026

Noun

There’s plenty of evidence from the past year to support that theory, from the ouster of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, to attacks on Russian shadow fleet vessels by Ukrainian special forces, to the brief Israel-Iran conflict last summer, all of which produced a collective shrug from oil traders. —Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Stu Forster/Getty Images There was a period before Christmas when the prospect of Ibrahima Konate leaving Liverpool on a free transfer at the end of the season would have been greeted with a collective shrug among the fanbase. —James Pearce, New York Times, 12 Feb. 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