shrugs off

verb

present tense third-person singular of shrug off
1
as in ignores
to dismiss as of little importance an administration that was willing to shrug off the problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removes
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 shrugs off The team shrugs off criticism that the end result was overbudget and overdue. — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 June 2026 Once again, Rodrigo shrugs off concern. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 His Bear shrugs off advice from friends and co-workers Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sara (Megan Lawless) who notice that Nikki seems to get more unhinged by the minute. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 May 2026 Singh shrugs off the need for external validation. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026 Rough blazing star shrugs off humidity but skip planting in spots where the soil stays soggy in the winter. — Erica Browne Grivas, Midwest Living, 1 May 2026 Even now, Dickinson shrugs off people who complain that recent Maiden albums like The Book of Souls and Senjutsu lean too progressive. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026 Oleander is very heat and drought tolerant and shrugs off poor soil. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026 Ryan shrugs off the daily noise altogether. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrugs off
  1. ignores
  2. removes
  3. forgives
  4. overlooks
  5. explains
  6. justifies
  7. passes over
  8. papers over
Verb
  • But that framing ignores a few factors, as was pointed out to Deadline by the leader of one suitor committed to safeguarding the company’s unique, cinephile-forward culture.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • Why would someone hand over their best idea to a process that usually ignores it?
    — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of ignores
Verb
  • Early morning writing removes the pressure, lowers the stakes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • The first of those two worldwide lists measures sales and streaming activity from around the globe, while the latter uses the same data, but removes all consumption originating in the United States.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of removes
Verb
  • But Hannah, who sees his true good nature, forgives him.
    — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 22 May 2026
  • While The Pitt forgives and empathizes with Robby’s flaws, Robby is not called on to extend that empathy to others.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of forgives
Verb
  • So is the community’s playground that has a soft rubber surface and overlooks the lake.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
  • But that overlooks the far larger number of proposals that never reach financial close because critical complementary investments never materialize.
    — Bright Simons, semafor.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of overlooks
Verb
  • Lobello explains why soccer is such an efficient form of exercise and what the World Cup could mean for adults looking to get active.
    — Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
  • While sharing her Beauty Secrets with Vogue, the 20-year-old explains that the bittersweet ballad was inspired by a Japanese phrase that means, essentially, everything beautiful is temporary.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 14 July 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • The highest completion rate in the test still belonged to Opus, and the hardest work still justifies frontier pricing.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • But the evidence does not support the claim that noncitizen voting is occurring at a scale that justifies burdening millions of eligible Americans or overriding state election systems with a sweeping federal mandate.
    — Reid Ribble, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of justifies
Verb
  • Since then, however, Howell has only thrown 14 passes over the past two seasons.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • The autonomous vehicle then passes over the colorful flames and sparks.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of passes over
Verb
  • With ballots set to be printed this week, the issue was appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court on an expedited basis, with both sides filing court papers over the weekend.
    — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • In this case, the vote also papers over Democrats’ internal divisions, given that the caucus is divided between hawkish Democrats sympathetic to attacking Iran and those who reject the attack outright.
    — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of papers over

Browse Nearby Words

shrugs
shrugs off
shrunk
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrugs off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrugs%20off. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All