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shrug off

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shrug something off (as something)

 and pass something off (as something)

to ignore something unpleasant or offensive as if it meant something else. She shrugged off the criticism as harmless. I passed off the remark as misinformed. Bill scolded me, but I just passed it off.

See also: off, shrug

shrug something off

also shrug off something

to act as if something is unimportant or not a problem Although constantly troubled by a lack of money, he was able to shrug it off with a joke. The runner has been trying hard to shrug off a back injury that doesn't seem to go away.

Related vocabulary: shrug your shoulders

See also: off, shrug

shrug off

1. Minimize the importance of, as in That nasty review didn't bother him at all; he just shrugged it off. [Early 1900s]

2. Get rid of, as in She managed to shrug off her drowsiness and keep driving. [Mid-1900s]

3. Wriggle out of a garment, as in He shrugged off his coat. [First half of 1900s]

See also: off, shrug

shrug off

v.

1. To dismiss something with a gesture of doubt, disdain, or indifference: She shrugged off her mother's advice. Rather than respond to their insults, he just shrugged them off and kept walking.

2. To minimize the importance of something: The coach shrugged off the defeat and talked about the team's improvement. The politician shrugged the allegations off, calling them absurd.

3. To get rid of something: I hope that I can shrug off this cold before the game next weekend. I began to feel sleepy, but I shrugged it off and kept driving.

4. To wriggle out of some clothing: He shrugged off his shirt and put it in the laundry basket. She shrugged her coat off and hung it in the closet.

See also: off, shrug