shrew

noun

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\ ˈshrü

, especially Southern ˈsrü \

Definition of shrew

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

shrew

verb

shrewed; shrewing; shrews

Definition of shrew (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

obsolete

: curse

Other Words from shrew Synonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing shrew Learn More About shrew

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 Bill Clinton got to come out looking like a cool guy, Hillary looked like a shrew. — ELLE, 11 Apr. 2022 Marty the nebbish, Ike the shyster, Phyllis the shrew. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 Nov. 2021 But Allison is turned into another stereotype, the tedious, finger-wagging shrew. — The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021 The occasional mouse or shrew will come through, and the real hunters in the family — Winchester, Hugo and Cheyenne — will hunt them relentlessly. — Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 24 July 2021 Unfortunately, the shrew had a number of apocalypse-friendly adaptations humans have since lost. — Cody Cassidy, Wired, 9 Apr. 2021 The idea behind these projects tends to follow a formula: this woman wasn’t always a monster, a harpy, a shrew. — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2020 The elephant shrew has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years. — Brett Harman, CNN, 21 Aug. 2020 Smith and paleontologist Kenneth Angielczyk turned instead to 16 hero shrew specimens already in the Field Museum’s collections. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Apr. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shrew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.