shrug

S1H4R1U1G2
US, UK/ˈʃɹʌɡ/US, UK[ˈʃɹʷʌɡ]Australia, New Zealand/ˈʃɹɐɡ/Australia, New Zealand[ˈʃɹʷɐ̞ɡ]

noun

A lifting of the shoulders to signal indifference or a casual lack of knowledge about something.

“He dismissed my comment with a shrug.”

OriginMiddle English schruggen ← Old Norse skrykkva ← Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounshrug (plural shrugs)

plural shrugs

  1. A lifting of the shoulders to signal indifference or a casual lack of knowledge about something.

    He dismissed my comment with a shrug.

  2. A cropped, cardiganlike garment with short or long sleeves, typically knitted.
verbshrug (third-person singular simple present shrugs, present participle shrugging, simple past and past participle shrugged)

present singular third person shrugs · participle present shrugging · participle past shrugged · past shrugged

  1. ambitransitiveTo raise (the shoulders) to express uncertainty, lack of concern, (formerly) dread, etc.

    I asked him for an answer and he just shrugged.

    2 more examples

    When he saw the problem, he just shrugged and started fixing it.

    He[…] shrugs his shoulders when you talk of securities.

    1712 January 12 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “TUESDAY, January 2, 1711–1712”, in The Spectator, number 264; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*skrinkwaną
  2. Old Norseskrykkva
  3. Middle Englishschruggen
  4. Englishshrug

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.

More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic هَزَّ كَتِفَيْن
  • هَزَّ كَتِفَيْن (hazza katifayn)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Bulgarian вди́гане на ра́мене, вди́гам ра́мене
  • вди́гане на ра́мене (vdígane na rámene)gesture
  • вди́гам ра́мене (vdígam rámene)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • вди́гна ра́мене (vdígna rámene)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Catalan encongiment d'espatlles, arronsar les espatlles
  • encongiment d'espatllesgesture
  • arronsar les espatllesto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • s'arronsar d'espatllesto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Chinese Mandarin 聳肩 /耸肩, 聳 /耸
  • 聳肩 /耸肩 (sǒngjiān)gesture
  • 聳 /耸 (sǒng)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • 聳肩 /耸肩 (sǒngjiān)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Czech pokrčit rameny
  • pokrčit ramenyto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Danish skuldertræk, trække på skuldrene
  • skuldertrækgesture
  • trække på skuldreneto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Dutch schouderophalen, schouders ophalen
  • schouderophalengesture
  • schouders ophalento raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • schokschouderento raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Esperanto ŝultromovado, ŝultrumado
  • ŝultromovadogesture
  • ŝultrumadogesture
  • levi la ŝultrojnto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • ŝultrumito raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Finnish olankohautus, kohauttaa olkiaan
  • olankohautusgesture
  • kohauttaa olkiaanto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • kohauttaa olkapäitäänto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
French haussement d'épaules, hausser les épaules
  • haussement d'épaulesgesture
  • hausser les épaulesto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
German Schulterzucken, Achselzucken
  • Schulterzuckengesture
  • Achselzuckengesture
  • mit den Schultern zuckento raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • mit den Achseln zuckento raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Hebrew מָשַׁךְ בִּכְתֵפַיִם
  • מָשַׁךְ בִּכְתֵפַיִם (mashákh bikhtefáyim)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Hungarian vállrándítás, vállat von
  • vállrándításgesture
  • vállat vonto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • megvonja a vállátto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • vállat rándítto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Italian spalluccia, fare spallucce
  • spallucciagesture
  • fare spallucceto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Japanese 肩を竦める, 肩を窄める
  • 肩を竦める (kata o sukumeru)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • 肩を窄める (kata o subomeru)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Korean 어깨를 으쓱하다
  • 어깨를 으쓱하다 (eokkae-reul eusseukhada)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Māori hikihiki pakihiwi
  • hikihiki pakihiwito raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Persian شانه بالا انداختن
  • شانه بالا انداختن (šâne bâlâ andâxtan)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Polish wzruszenie ramionami, wzruszać ramionami
  • wzruszenie ramionamigesture
  • wzruszać ramionamito raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • wzruszyć ramionamito raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Portuguese encolhida de ombros, dar de ombros
  • encolhida de ombrosgesture
  • dar de ombrosgesture
  • dar de ombrosto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • encolher os ombrosto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Romanian da din umeri
  • da din umerito raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Russian пожима́ние плеча́ми, пожима́ть плеча́ми
  • пожима́ние плеча́ми (požimánije plečámi)gesture
  • пожима́ть плеча́ми (požimátʹ plečámi)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • пожа́ть плеча́ми (požátʹ plečámi)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Scottish Gaelic crathadh, crath
  • crathadhgesture
  • crathto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Slovak pokrčiť plecami
  • pokrčiť plecamito raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Spanish encogimiento de hombros, encogerse de hombros
  • encogimiento de hombrosgesture
  • encogerse de hombrosto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • encoger / alzar los hombrosto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Swedish axelryckning, rycka på axlarna
  • axelryckninggesture
  • rycka på axlarnato raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Turkish omuz silkmek
  • omuz silkmekto raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
Ukrainian зни́зування плечи́ма, зни́зувати плечи́ма
  • зни́зування плечи́ма (znýzuvannja plečýma)gesture
  • зни́зувати плечи́ма (znýzuvaty plečýma)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.
  • зниза́ти плечи́ма (znyzáty plečýma)to raise the shoulders to express uncertainty, lack of concern, etc.

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with shrug

drugbugplugDougdebugughuglugslugthugpugtugsnugglugunplugsmugfuggloggvugwugtrugfrugarmadillo buggigglemug
All rhymes →

Anagrams

grush
Cite this entry
APA

shrug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shrug

MLA

“shrug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shrug. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shrug,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shrug.

Source: shrug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.