verb / noun
shrug
To raise the shoulders to show uncertainty or indifference, or that movement.
She shrugs when I ask which movie she wants to watch.
Etymology
Shrug has an older association with contracting or drawing the body together. The familiar gesture specializes that movement to raising the shoulders.
More examples
- He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know."
- She answered with a shrug, leaving us unsure what she meant.
- "Either seat is fine," he says, shrugging.
Forms
shrug · shrugs · shrugged · shrugging
Similar words
- gesture
- Covers any expressive movement, not just raising the shoulders.