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

Manhattan Township did not object to the solar facilities but made several requests, such as planting a buffer of evergreen trees and shrubs along the north and west property lines and adding at least a 6-foot tall chain-link fence for security. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025

Local fire districts preached the opposite: Maintain a defensible space around your home, clear pine straw, trees and shrubs to reduce fire risk. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025

Destruction of screw pines also threatens the island’s geckos, important pollinators that use the trees and shrubs as shelters. —Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025

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

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