shrug 1 of 2

Definition of shrugnext

shrug

2 of 2

verb

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 shrug
Noun
Asked how exactly the group came together, Godrich and Harrison look at each other across a picnic table and shrug. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 The bolero, a hyper-cropped layer that’s one step away from a shrug, gets zero respect. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
Now, on the face of it, this might be the sort of situation where the casual fan might shrug and make some sort of comment about ‘tacticos’ overcomplicating the game. — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Once, when the curd did not set, Jaya Aunty did not do what Nidhi’s mother would have done—namely, shrug her shoulders and nip out to the store for a couple of squishy packets. — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shrug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrug
Noun
  • The hypnotizing corduroy stripes of curling blue waves visible from the resort’s expansive green clifftop lawn en route to a private staircase that leads straight to the surf—and a guest-only beach deck, too.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Seeing the president flash on the scoreboard, or wave to the crowd from a private box, probably won’t win him votes from the crowd, either, Mowery said.
    — Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But the fecundity of the land is no match for the Trasks’ failure to flourish.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv have flourished in the five years since the United Arab Emirates and Israel normalized relations in 2020, analysts say.
    — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • At the opening, Lafayette 148 NorthPark will feature its fall 2026 collection, including exclusive leather colorways created for Dallas, precise tailoring and signature white shirts informed by the archives and three decades of craftsmanship.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Livia’s unease informs her skepticism of politics; in linking the two, Kingsolver conflates class and culture, using the former as an excuse for what really just seems to be Livia’s constitutional conservatism.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Laura nodded, and the two of them found conjoined desks at the very front of the classroom.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In Lloyd’s production, the action climaxes with Benedick and Beatrice in an encounter that nods to Dirty Dancing.
    — Zing Tsjeng, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Katie does an excellent pivot and tells everyone that Jay also said Kriste was a Traitor.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But when Disney offered 13-year-old Jason Weaver $2 million to sing as young Simba in The Lion King—his mom told them no.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Players on the winning team of this year’s Finals will each take home $60,000, while runners-up will earn $20,000 apiece, under terms of the historic collective bargaining agreement signed earlier this year between owners and players.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Defense attorney Johnson had filed an election for the jury to assess punishment, but Jones refused to sign it, according to Sorrells.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Asea was first arrested in April on stalking and computer-related allegations, but prosecutors dropped those charges in May before bringing a computer-access charge in September, court records show.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Police and prosecutors said Joshua Kerry, 28, had been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts between May 2024 and July this year, saying that these related in part to Farage.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shrug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrug. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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