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

In place of enthusiasm for Blanche’s qualifications, Barr shrugs that Trump would never allow anybody more qualified than Blanche to hold the job. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026

Whereas my millennial and Gen X peers just kind of shrugged. — Carita Rizzo, Deadline, 16 June 2026

Noun

Combat travel stiffness with simple SITS exercises (shoulder shrugs, inclines, twists, steps) and consider chiropractic care before and after your trip for spinal alignment. — Sherry McAllister, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

The collective shrug of Algerian shoulders would have been one of the considerations in the video review room, given that VARs the world over are lambasted for delaying the game when no one on the pitch seems interested in overturning the on-field decision. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 19 June 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