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

This is especially advantageous for deciduous trees and shrubs, which divert energy away from foliage to concentrate on underground growth. —Tammy Sons, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Take ashwagandha, an evergreen shrub indigenous to tropical areas in Asia and Africa. —Jessie Van Amburg, SELF, 29 Oct. 2024

Forsythia The bright yellow forsythia shrub should be trimmed back in the spring after the blooms fade. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024

Other magnolia shrubs include the sweetbay magnolia and the little gem magnolia. —Nina Malkin, Architectural Digest, 23 Sep. 2024

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

Kids Definition

shrub

noun

ˈshrəb

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