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
Noun
Far larger than shrews, human children, and especially babies, need extra bundling for this very same reason. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024 While their slimy coatings deter some would-be-predators, raccoons, opossums, snakes, moles, toads, shrews, turtles, ground beetles, and birds, such as ducks, starlings, and thrushes, devour them with gusto. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024 Most owls are content to feast on small mammals such as mice and shrews, said Seth Magle, director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 The cub had pulled the shrew out of the sand and had been knocking it around like a ball. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 Rogan’s aim, however, was mostly focused on Jada Smith as a controlling shrew. Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024 Also showing high support for a Cretaceous origin were three other orders: Eulipotyphla (shrews and moles), Lagomorpha (rabbits), and Carnivora (dogs, cats, bears). Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024 Ulmer identified it as a type of shrew in his field notes. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Dec. 2023 An angry woman is no more than a hysteric, a shrew, a person to be punished. Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 22 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrew.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 19 Mar. 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
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