shrub

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈshrəb How to pronounce shrub (audio)
especially Southern ˈsrəb
: a low usually several-stemmed woody plant
shrub-like adjective
or shrublike
ˈshrəb-ˌlīk How to pronounce shrub (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Poconos are home to 127 indigenous species of trees, plants, and shrubs that show off their colors during the fall, and more than 260 miles of hiking trails traverse the region. — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Canopies of the taller, darker shrubs stick out of the snow and absorb more energy from the sun than the blanket of white snow, which reflects heat back. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 Some are trees, some are shrubs, some are native to us here in the American South and some flourish in parts of Asia half a world away. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 23 Aug. 2026 The windows were gone or boarded over, graffiti covered the front walls and overgrown shrubs obscured the entrance. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shrub

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of shrub was before the 12th century

Rhymes for shrub

See All Rhymes for shrub

Browse Nearby Words

Shrove Tuesday
shrub
shrubbed
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Cite this Entry

“Shrub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrub. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

shrub

noun
ˈshrəb
: a woody plant that has several stems and is smaller than most trees

More from Merriam-Webster on shrub

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shrub

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