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

Carambolas normally grow back from at or near the ground to produce more of a shrub-looking tree. —Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026

Volunteers will place trees and shrubs in pre-dug holes, backfill and tamp down soil, and add water and mulch, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026

But since 1978, Beijing has been planting hardy shrubs and trees around its edges to hold it back. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 Apr. 2026

Zoo Blooms At Cincinnati Zoo's Zoo Blooms event, see more than one million daffodils, hyacinths, flowering trees, shrubs and other spring bulbs. —Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Apr. 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