shrugs 1 of 2

noun

plural of shrug
as in waves

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shrugs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shrug
as in informs

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrugs
  1. waves
  2. informs
  3. gesticulations
  4. flourishes
  5. gestures
  6. nods
  7. tells
  8. relates
Noun
  • The Ukrainian capital endured a noisy night as 21 ballistic missiles came in three waves, Zelenskyy said, smashing apartment buildings, energy facilities, a railway station and the Kyiv subway system, shopping malls and businesses.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There was a very rigorous, full-on casting situation, and there were waves of auditions.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of waves
Verb
  • Parks and Recreation Director Carl Williams noted that observing the physical impact of the king tides firsthand informs smarter municipal design.
    — Joan Murray, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The statement doesn’t amount to an endorsement, a spokesperson for Caruso said, but instead simply informs people for whom Caruso planned to vote.
    — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of informs
Noun
  • The performing community challenged that notion, tracing the scat-singing and gesticulations to earlier artists including Black jazz performer Baby Esther Jones and cabaret entertainer Florence Mills.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
  • But on a Sunday morning in July 1595, the groan of the heavy wooden door startled him from his gesticulations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Definition of gesticulations
Verb
  • September is still too hot for this flower that flourishes during cooler weather.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • This toxic plant flourishes in disturbed areas and prefers moist soils.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of flourishes
Noun
  • This book forces us to consider how clothing can communicate identity without the body, or gestures, or the visage, but rather through arrangement and spatial orientation.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • One of the sweetest gestures during the Halloween season in Kansas City comes from one of the sweetest companies in town — Russell Stover.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of gestures
Verb
  • Variety has amassed 62 nominations for the Los Angeles Press Club’s 19th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, including nods for Print Journalist of the Year for Chris Willman and Online Journalist of the Year for Ethan Shanfeld.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The cushion, which is refillable, comes in a deep purple outer lacquer box, which nods to the world of watches, and with a pouch.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of nods
Verb
  • The fugitive tells his underwater buddies what the humans have been doing to their kind.
    — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
  • An organization chart tells you where authority is supposed to sit.
    — Kelvin Cheema, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of tells
Verb
  • His interview with O’Donnell relates his story—a faulty parachute, a tough crash, a long bloody hike, and survival until he was rescued by an American plane—in a genuinely moving way.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Most of the funding gap relates specifically to weapons purchases, Zelensky said, and future financing for Ukraine could come in the form of deals for sharing technology and joint drone production.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of relates
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

shrug off
shrugs
shrugs off
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Cite this Entry

“Shrugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrugs. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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