shrug
/ʃrʌɡ
/verb (shrugs, shrugging, shrugged) [with object]
1Raise (one’s shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference: Jimmy looked enquiringly at Pete, who shrugged his shoulders [no object]: he just shrugged and didn’t look interested...
- It is such a pity that their time and our taxes are being wasted on something which has the majority of our citizens shrugging their shoulder.
- At the end they didn't actually leave the stage but just stumbled around shrugging their shoulders looking lost.
- Instead of shrugging his shoulders, he became agitated and a sarcastic torrent of words flew out.
1.1 (shrug something off) Dismiss something as unimportant: the managing director shrugged off the criticism...
- The fact that he wasn't shying away from the fact that I wasn't human, and was simply shrugging it off as unimportant gave me some strength.
- He shrugged them off, dismissing them as his mind playing tricks in a strange place.
- She stared at him, confused by the cold dismissal, but shrugged it off.
Synonyms
disregard, dismiss, take no notice of, ignore, set aside, pay no heed to, forget, not trouble about, gloss over, play down, talk down, make light of, make little/nothing of, minimize, discount, diminish, downgrade, trivialize
noun
1An act or instance of shrugging one’s shoulders: she lifted her shoulders in a dismissive shrug...
- What was anticipated as a big fat Greek embrace turned instead into a casual shrug of the shoulders.
- Any restaurant that gets a shrug of the shoulders and a hand waving in the manner of an umpire should consider it a moral victory.
- There is no outrage, just a shrug of the shoulders.
2A woman’s close-fitting cardigan or jacket, cut short at the front and back so that only the arms and shoulders are covered.Also key is quirky detail: a velvet ribbon tied at the waist of a jacket; a fur shrug worn over a sloppy knit; a brooch or a corsage fastening a cardigan....
- Real or faux fur, shrugs, stoles or capelets are also great alternatives.
- Also a light brown camisole tank top, and a short white sweater shrug that had a chocolate brown colored tie in the front.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'fidget'): of unknown origin.