# shrugging

/ˈʃɹəɡɪŋ/ (US) · /ʃɹˈʌɡɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shrugging
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Definition

to lift your shoulders up to show you do not know something or do not care. You use it when words are not needed.

For teachers: to raise the shoulders briefly as a gesture of ignorance, indifference, or resignation.

## Examples

- She is shrugging because she does not know the answer.
- When the teacher asked who broke the window, the boys just kept shrugging and looking at each other.
- He answered every difficult question by shrugging, as if uncertainty itself were a complete and acceptable response to the crisis.

## Usage notes

- The verb is chiefly intransitive; the fixed collocation is 'shrug one's shoulders'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.