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 In Crystal Palace’s recent 2-2 away draw with Besiktas in the Europa League, the Frenchman intelligently read a backpass from defender Tiago Djalo before shrugging off a challenge and rifling the ball into the top corner. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2026 That shrugging off of the war was a common attitude among visitors to Boulevard City, organizers say. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 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 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
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
  • The queue — which wrapped around a nearby alleyway — slowly filed into the store, mostly ignoring the protest.
    — Anna Tingley, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The post accused bar employees of ignoring complaints about the costume and claimed the man made Nazi salutes.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • The platform offered another reason, however, for removing Polson's articles and blocking his accounts from further submissions.
    — TODD WALLACK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • With the Democrats’ takeover of Congress, time has run out on eliminating the Department of Education—not that this was possible without removing the Senate filibuster—or making any other significant legislative changes.
    — Ilya Shapiro, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of removing
Verb
  • All come with vast mesmerizing views, some overlooking the lake, others facing the green valley, some have terraces; the lake view royal suite has its own rooftop terrace.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The dining room and lounge open to a patio overlooking a heated in-ground pool and cabana.
    — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of overlooking
Verb
  • All of this means Owens has had to take shifts in the kitchen, putting off her front-of-house duties and paperwork to her evenings and days off.
    — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026
  • According to Singhal, common signs include procrastination, impatience, feeling overwhelmed, and putting off decisions altogether.
    — Kriti Kumar, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of putting off
Verb
  • Acton, who led Ohio’s Covid-19 response, prioritized protecting the accessibility of Medicaid, forgiving medical debt, tackling surprise billing, and creating a new prescription drug plan to lower costs.
    — Sarah Todd, STAT, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The remarkably, borderline unbelievably forgiving Adams became good friends with her ex-husband.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of forgiving
Verb
  • In March 2019, a Boeing 737 MAX crashed in Ethiopia just six minutes after taking off from the airport in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Troopers at the airport were alerted to the situation and notified flight staff at the gate where the plane would be taking off, state police said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of taking off
Verb
  • Expect Trinidad Chambliss, picked off three times by Texas, to be better against an Auburn defense that’s allowed over 700 yards passing over last two games.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of passing over
Verb
  • Students who were comfortable explaining concepts suddenly hesitated.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • However, replacing the standard cosmological model, known as Lambda–Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM), requires more than explaining unusual galaxies.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of explaining

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Cite this Entry

“Shrugging off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrugging%20off. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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