shrugging off

verb

present participle of shrug off
1
as in ignoring
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 removing
to rid oneself of (a garment) she shrugged off her coat and hung it up neatly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shrugging off But on Tuesday, senators failed to advance the firms’ top legislative priority, shrugging off the threat of tens of millions of dollars that still could hit them this fall. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Part of it is that more women are speaking up about hair loss, shrugging off the stigma and reaching out for help. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026 Trump, now shrugging off concerns about the threat posed to those who remained aboard the plane he was supposed to be on. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Publicly, the White House is shrugging off the legal setbacks. — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026 Paul said, referring to an interview Edwards did several years ago shrugging off the Phoenix Suns’ addition of Kevin Durant. — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Lionel Messi showcased his legendary resilience, powering Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Iraq with two goals, shrugging off an early penalty kick miss. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 The bull market keeps shrugging off every reason to stop. — Benzinga, Freep.com, 23 May 2026 Trump has also lambasted members of the alliance for shrugging off requests to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, despite much of the oil that Europe relies on navigating through the waterway. — Haris Alic, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrugging off
  1. ignoring
  2. removing
  3. overlooking
  4. putting off
  5. forgiving
  6. taking off
  7. passing over
  8. explaining
Verb
  • Instead of ignoring the noise and letting the backlash blow over, Espinal showed up to the set and posted a video explaining to New Yorkers why, in the long term, productions like this are a boon to the city and its inhabitants.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Also, one of the biggest risks in using generic off-the-shelf AI for abstracting real estate documents is that the AI model can produce and fill in a plausible value, ignoring what the source supports.
    — Pranit Banthia, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • About 50 employees signed off on an email to leadership expressing concerns and providing suggestions, such as evaluating clutter and removing items like pillows that are hotspots for the insects.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The Robin offers a little more structure and can even be transformed into a clutch by removing the adjustable strap.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • The clubhouse would have a bar, restaurant, locker rooms and verandas overlooking the golf course and tennis courts.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2023 Arthur Chardonnay Dundee Hills Domaine Drouhin Oregon covers 235 acres in the Dundee Hills overlooking the Willamette Valley.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • Stop putting off that next step for your side hustle and find the perfect person to take your business to the next level.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Poppe said the company was putting off $2 billion in work — not for wildfire mitigation or safety, but for housing developments, renewable energy projects and other efforts.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of putting off
Verb
  • The scourge of Steve Spurrier Spurrier took too many verbal jabs to list here and took special glee in beating the Dawgs, never forgiving them for beating his Florida Gators in his 1966 senior season, ruining their SEC championship hopes.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Although these conditions may be difficult to maintain at home, onions are forgiving.
    — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 after taking off from Dubai, UAE, with 182 people including eight crew members flying to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday.
    — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • About two hours after taking off, the aircraft began quickly losing altitude and turned sharply to the north, flight tracking data showed.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of taking off
Verb
  • The probability of a hurricane passing over any particular point is low, especially farther from the Mexican coast, since most Pacific hurricanes tend to stay closer to Mexico.
    — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Related Articles The board previously resolved to erect new buildings for the Latino Museum and the American Women’s History Museum, passing over Arts and Industries.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of passing over
Verb
  • The rich collections do a great job of honoring visual traditions and explaining their connections to real people and real places.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • China’s leading firms are still just approaching top US labs in capabilities, partly explaining their lack of transparency.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining

Browse Nearby Words

shrugging
shrugging off
shrug off
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Cite this Entry

“Shrugging off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrugging%20off. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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