shrub

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈshrəb 

 especially Southern  ˈsrəb

: a low usually several-stemmed woody plant

shrub-like adjective

or shrublike

ˈshrəb-ˌlīk 

 especially Southern  ˈsrəb-

shrub-like plants

shrub

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

: an aged blend of fruit juice, sugar, and spirits served chilled and diluted with water

2

: a beverage made by adding acidulated fruit juice to iced water

Examples of shrub in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Spongy Moth Spongy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) is a wide-ranging pest that feeds on over 300 species of trees and shrubs, endangering our forests. —Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2025

Black chokeberry is considered a prairie shrub and native to the sandy soils of northeastern Illinois, but it’s become too much of a good thing at the Gensburg-Markham Prairie, according to event organizers. —Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025

Washes become specific plant ecosystems, sometimes filling with bright wildflowers or nurturing trees and shrubs along their perimeters. —Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025

Trees and shrubs in this zone should be limited to a few, small clusters. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English schrobbe, from Old English scrybb brushwood; akin to Norwegian skrubbebær, a cornel of a dwarf species

Noun (2)

Arabic sharāb beverage

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shrub

• bub
• club
• cub
• dub
• grub
• hub
• nub
• pub
• rub
• scrub
• snub
• stub

Kids Definition

shrub

noun

ˈshrəb

: a woody plant that has several stems and is smaller than most trees