shrug

/ʃrʌg/

Thân thiện

She gave a slight shrug when asked about the meeting time.

Definition

1. Verb:

   • To raise and then lower one's shoulders, typically as a gesture to express indifference, doubt, ignorance, or resignation.
   • To dismiss, minimize, or get rid of something with this gesture or a similar attitude.

2. Noun:

   • A gesture or act of raising and lowering the shoulders.

Usage

• Verb:

  • The basic action is to physically move one's shoulders up and down.
  • It is often used to show you do not know something, do not care, or cannot change a situation.
  • It can be used with an object (e.g., shrug one's shoulders) or without.
  • It is commonly followed by the adverb "off" to mean dismissing something.

• Noun:

  • Refers to the gesture itself.
  • Often used with verbs like give or with a.

Examples

• Verb:

  • When I asked where the keys were, he just shrugged.
  • She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I have no idea."
  • You can't just shrug off your responsibilities.

• Noun:

  • He answered my question with a shrug.
  • She gave a dismissive shrug and walked away.

Advanced Usage

• "shrug something off" (phrasal verb): To treat something as if it is not important or not a problem; to recover from something easily.

  • He shrugged off the criticism and continued with his work.
  • She has an amazing ability to shrug off stress.

• "shrug into/out of": To put on or take off a piece of clothing, especially a coat or jacket, with a quick, often careless, shoulder movement.

  • He shrugged into his coat and left.
  • She shrugged out of her backpack.

Variants and Related Words

• Shrugging (present participle/gerund): The act of performing a shrug.
  • His constant shrugging was beginning to annoy me.

Synonyms

• Verb (for the gesture): To raise one's shoulders.
• Verb (for dismissing): To dismiss, to brush off, to disregard, to minimize.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Shrug off: As detailed above, to dismiss or recover from.
  • It's impressive how she can shrug off such negative comments.

Related Idioms

• "Answer with a shrug": To respond not with words but with the shoulder gesture.
  • He didn't say anything; he just answered with a shrug.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a gesture involving the shoulders

Verb

1. raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation