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
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
Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
The 2025 list of extinctions includes a bird, a shrew and a species of snail, among others.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
The shrew is one of these mammals, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
The elephant shrew genus Macroscelides was the sole exception, shifting to omnivory after adopting myrmecophagy during the Eocene.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrew
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Noun
Especially early on in the campaign, when I was being attacked as being angry, a shrew, demeaning my husband — all these labels were coming in on me that were essentially trying to rob me of that femininity.
—Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
The 2025 list of extinctions includes a bird, a shrew and a species of snail, among others.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
The shrew is one of these mammals, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
The elephant shrew genus Macroscelides was the sole exception, shifting to omnivory after adopting myrmecophagy during the Eocene.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrew
Cite this Entry
“Shrew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrew. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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