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

On the outskirts of Jisr al-Shughur, high on a hill, among green shrubs lie the graves of hundreds of Uyghur fighters who perished fighting the Assad regime. —Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026

Here are 18 shrubs that put your landscape on the fast track. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 17 May 2026

Use baking soda carefully to avoid harming nearby plants or larger shrubs. —David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 17 May 2026

Wes Harvell, rosarian for Jackson & Perkins, says the best rose varieties for container gardening are ones that are especially compact, disease-resistant, and repeat-bloomers, such as floribunda roses, shrub roses, and climbing roses (when paired with a trellis). —Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 May 2026

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