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

Perennial sunflowers are available that grow as bushes or tall shrub forms. —Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026

Hummingbird shrub produces woody stems but dies back to the ground in colder parts of its range. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 May 2026

The mountain bongo has become the ghost of the forest, hard to spot amid the dense shrubs due to its ability to camouflage. —ABC News, 9 May 2026

Drip irrigation and hand-watering trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetable gardens is allowed any time. —Olivia Young, CBS News, 9 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