shrew

1 of 2

noun

ˈshrü How to pronounce shrew (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈsrü
1
: any of a family (Soricidae) of small chiefly nocturnal insectivores related to the moles and distinguished by a long pointed snout, very small eyes, and short velvety fur
2
: an ill-tempered scolding woman
shrewlike adjective

shrew

2 of 2

verb

shrewed; shrewing; shrews

transitive verb

obsolete
: curse

Examples of shrew in a Sentence

Noun Rip Van Winkle went off into the mountains to escape his wife, a shrew who made his life miserable.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
There have been a few seasons of the show in which men (see: season five Cole) are portrayed as innocent but good-hearted idiots and women as harsh shrews. Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024 Revolutionizing Fossil Analysis with X-Ray Imaging The concept arose almost by chance when Ian Corfe was probing shrew teeth at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France (synchrotrons are high-powered instruments that use X-ray beams). Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024 Researchers had previously observed iron in the enamel of other animals, including beavers, shrews, some fish and salamanders, but it had never been reported in a carnivorous reptile. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 July 2024 Other notable characters include Mama and Papa Puffin, Oona’s best friend Mossy (a brown Eurasian Pygmy shrew) and friends like May (a rabbit) and Silky (a harbor seal). Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 19 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for shrew 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English shrewe evil or scolding person, from Old English scrēawa shrew (animal)

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shrew was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shrew

Cite this Entry

“Shrew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrew. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

shrew

noun
ˈshrü
1
: any of numerous small mammals that are related to the moles, are active mostly at night, and have a long pointed snout, very small eyes, and velvety fur
2
: a scolding or bad-tempered woman
shrewish
ˈshrü-ish
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on shrew

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!