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

Although plants played a central role in subsistence for centuries, Neolithic communities heavily relied on human and animal figures, with scarce traces of plant visual representation, such as flowers, shrubs, and branches. —New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2026

Leading to and from the Zayed is the Al Masar Garden, planted with desert shrubs and the region’s iconic ghaf tree. —John Arlidge, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026

On top of all that, many ski town culinary hotspots have fantastic zero-proof cocktail offerings, including James Beard winner Matt Vawter’s Rootstalk in Breckenridge, where an expansive menu includes a booze-free Old Fashioned, seasonal shrubs and mocktails, and non-alcoholic cider, beer and wine. —Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026

While goats handle shrubs and trees, five to 10 sheep may graze grass. —Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 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