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

Sip on a signature Boston Sling, a riff on the original Singapore Sling created at the first Raffles, made with Blind Duck gin, Pama liqueur, Drambuie, Amaro Nonino, cranberry compote and housemade apple shrub, or try a refreshing spritz or mocktail. —Kim Foley MacKinnon, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

According to the DEEP, the wildlife on the land includes deer, turkey, coyote, black bear, as well as core forest and shrub land songbirds. —Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025

Trim back plants or shrubs that are touching your home’s foundation. —Evan Moore july 21, Charlotte Observer, 21 July 2025

And be careful not to crowd it in a planting bed—air circulation is important to the shrub's health. —Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 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