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

The kumquat shrub soda ($5) marries the citric brightness of kumquat with the tang of vinegar, brought to life with sparkling water. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub that is sometimes used for its stimulant-like effect. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Chokeberry Chokeberry shrubs, such as black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) and red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), are tolerant of unideal soil conditions. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 18 Aug. 2026

Parc de les Glòries, which opened in 2025, contains, within its twenty-one acres, around a thousand trees, more than fifty thousand plants and shrubs, rain gardens, playgrounds, sports facilities, a water park, and a broad meadow. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 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