shrugverb [ I or T ]
uk/ʃrʌɡ/us/ʃrʌɡ/-gg-C2 to raise your shoulders and then lower them in order to say you do not know or are not interested:
"Where's Dad?" "How should I know?" replied my brother, shrugging.
He shrugged his shoulders as if to say that there was nothing he could do about it.
figurative Thousands of people are starving to death while the world shrugs its shoulders (= shows no interest or care).
More examples
- She shrugged indifferently.
- In reply to their questions, she just shrugged.
- He shrugged and looked resigned.
- You can't just shrug your shoulders and do nothing about the situation!
- "What shall we do?" "Don't ask me," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Gestures & gesturing
- air punch
- air quotes
- bat
- beckon
- blow
- bob
- body language
- cue
- finger
- gesture
- give sb the finger idiom
- inclination
- mooning
- motion
- namaskar
- nod
- non-verbal
- pump
- pump sb's hand idiom
- wave sb/sth down
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Phrasal verb(s)
shrug sth off
shrugnoun [ C ]
uk/ʃrʌɡ/us/ʃrʌɡ/shrug noun [ C ] (SHOULDER MOVEMENT)
the action of raising and lowering your shoulders to express something:
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about your problem," she said with a shrug.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to do what he says," said Kim with a shrug of resignation.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Gestures & gesturing
- air punch
- air quotes
- bat
- beckon
- blow
- bob
- body language
- cue
- finger
- gesture
- give sb the finger idiom
- inclination
- mooning
- motion
- namaskar
- nod
- non-verbal
- pump
- pump sb's hand idiom
- wave sb/sth down
See more results »
shrug noun [ C ] (CLOTHES)
a short cardigan for women
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Coats, jackets & cloaks
- achkan
- anorak
- Barbour
- baseball jacket
- blazer
- DJ
- donkey jacket
- double-breasted
- doublet
- down jacket
- leucocyte
- lumber jacket
- mac
- mackintosh
- mantle
- stole
- tailcoat
- three-quarter length
- trench coat
- tuxedo
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