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shrug off

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To not let something bother you, or to treat it as not important.

Literal meaning: To shrug (raise shoulders) and move something off — the physical gesture of indifference.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic informal

To dismiss or treat something as unimportant, especially criticism or setbacks.

"She shrugged off the negative reviews and focused on enjoying the creative process."

"He shrugged off questions about his future and said he was focused on the present."

— The New York Times (2016)
Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic neutral

To recover quickly from an injury or illness and continue as normal.

"The striker shrugged off a hamstring problem to start in Saturday's final."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 neutral

To remove a piece of clothing by letting it slide off the shoulders.

"He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Very common in journalism and sports reporting ('the team shrugged off the defeat'). The gesture of shrugging one's shoulders (to show indifference) underlies the idiom. Can also be used for physically removing a garment, though this sense is less common.

Commonly used with

criticism defeat injury concerns accusations pressure

Forms

Base
shrug off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shrugs off
he/she/it
Past simple
shruged off
yesterday
Past participle
shruged off
have + pp
-ing form
shruging off
continuous

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