1
as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance
an administration that was willing to shrug off the problem
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to remove
to rid oneself of (a garment)
she shrugged off her coat and hung it up neatly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrug off
Trump, by contrast, shreds regular procedures, shrugs off the expertise needed to bring policies to life, and promotes administrative incompetence in order to eliminate any authority other than himself.
—
Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
And my sources at Google shrug off Microsoft’s attempts, given the stickiness of their product.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
For critics, the pattern has laid bare the limits of the 2012 STOCK Act, which requires trades to be reported within weeks but imposes penalties so light that they are often shrugged off.
—Nik Popli, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Indonesia still ranks among the more stable emerging markets, Howe said, shrugging off impact from the demonstrations as a near-term setback.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrug off
Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
And my sources at Google shrug off Microsoft’s attempts, given the stickiness of their product.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
For critics, the pattern has laid bare the limits of the 2012 STOCK Act, which requires trades to be reported within weeks but imposes penalties so light that they are often shrugged off.
—Nik Popli, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Indonesia still ranks among the more stable emerging markets, Howe said, shrugging off impact from the demonstrations as a near-term setback.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrug off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrug off
Verb
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That many in the media have ignored the unit’s rise is an indictment.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Amid all its glorious and aesthetic architecture lies the massive environmental impact that cannot be ignored.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By removing color, the focus shifts to texture, light, gesture, and gaze — emphasizing the nuances of connection and the multiplicity of what love can look like beyond normative, romanticized ideals.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
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Social media platforms, including YouTube and X, have begun removing videos of the attack.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If a Manchester United fan missed this game (good call, by the way) and just looked at the post-match stats, they could be forgiven for thinking their boys put up a decent display.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Both characters struggle to forgive themselves for past mistakes and are reluctant to dive back into relationships.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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High-end Japanese restaurant chain ROKA opened a branch at the Mandarin Oriental Bodrum this summer, where guests can enjoy ROKA’s signature dishes, and some bespoke new creations, at an outdoor restaurant overlooking Paradise Bay.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
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Room Essentials Satin Quilt Don’t overlook Target’s exclusive brand, Room Essentials, when shopping for bedding.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When bourbon slumped in the 1980s, many distilleries put off repairs to their stills, which caused plenty of problems.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
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Speedrunners have also found some arcane sequence skips to get around certain bosses or methods for putting off some boss fights until later than the developers intended.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Here, Renzi explains how long the doc was in the works, why family members didn’t participate, and how Marco of all people helped Sheen to get off crack.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
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At a time when contentious words dominate our conversations—think insurrection and fascism and fake news and woke—the need for dictionaries to chronicle and explain language, and serve as its watchdog, has never been greater.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Each second that passed over the 45-minute mark removed $1000 from the donation to the Boys & Girls Club, and the plummeting amount of cash was shown onscreen, right behind the winner.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Yet Carr continues to drop next-level passes over linebacker and defensive backs while seeing the entire field.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That explains why the two-perspective structure couldn’t be justified in an episode like this and exposes the weakness of the conceit in the first place.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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The excitement may be justified, but so is the concern when regulatory structures fail to keep pace with demand.—
Lindsay O'Neill,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shrug off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrug%20off. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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