shrug
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shrug
- /ˈʃɹʌɡ/ US, UK
- [ˈʃɹʷʌɡ] US, UK
- /ˈʃɹɐɡ/ Australia, New Zealand
- [ˈʃɹʷɐ̞ɡ] Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈʃɾʌɡ/ Scotland
- /ˈʃɾəɡ/ Wales
- [ˈʃɾəɡ] ~ [ˈʃɾɜɡ] Wales
- /ˈʃɻʌɡ/ Northern Ireland
- /ˈʃɹʊɡ/ Northern England
- [ˈʃɹʷʊɡ] Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌɡ
Where it comes from
From Middle English schruggen, shrukken, probably of North Germanic origin related to Danish skrugge, skrukke (“to stoop; crouch”), Swedish skruga, skrukka (“to huddle; crouch”), all from or related to Old Norse skrykkva, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Compare also Old English scrincan (“to shrink”). More at shrink.
noun shrugs
- A lifting of the shoulders to signal indifference or a casual lack of knowledge about something. He dismissed my comment with a shrug.
- A cropped, cardiganlike garment with short or long sleeves, typically knitted.
verb shrugs · shrugging · shrugged
- To raise (the shoulders) to express uncertainty, lack of concern, (formerly) dread, etc. I asked him for an answer and he just shrugged.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ignore, shrink, eliminate, brush off, wave off, spurn, dismiss, disregard, flout, downplay, trivialize, minimize, scorn, slight, snub, scoff
Translations
Every language
noun gesture
| Español | encogimiento de hombros |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 聳肩 /耸肩 sǒngjiān |
| Português | encolhida de ombros, dar de ombros |
| Français | haussement d'épaules |
| Deutsch | Schulterzucken, Achselzucken |
| Italiano | spalluccia |
| Русский | пожима́ние плеча́ми požimánije plečámi |
verb to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
| Español | encogerse de hombros, encoger / alzar los hombros |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 어깨를 으쓱하다 eokkae-reul eusseukhada |
| 日本語 | 肩を竦める kata o sukumeru, 肩を窄める kata o subomeru |
| 中文 | 聳 /耸 sǒng, 聳肩 /耸肩 sǒngjiān |
| Português | dar de ombros, encolher os ombros |
| Français | hausser les épaules |
| Deutsch | mit den Schultern zucken, mit den Achseln zucken |
| Italiano | fare spallucce |
| Română | da din umeri |
| Русский | пожима́ть плеча́ми požimátʹ plečámi, пожа́ть плеча́ми požátʹ plečámi |
| العربية | هَزَّ كَتِفَيْن hazza katifayn |
| עברית | מָשַׁךְ בִּכְתֵפַיִם mashákh bikhtefáyim |
Talk about this word "shrug." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shrug. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shrug. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shrug "shrug." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shrug.Cite this
@misc{shrug_2026,
title = {shrug},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shrug},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
