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
Noun
With plant selections ranging from deep burgundy to almost black foliage, landscapes and patio pots have gotten significantly moodier over the past year and include nighttime theatrical touches like the up-lighting of trees and shrubs. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024 The house was filled with generations of family furniture and the grounds were full of flowers, shrubs, trees and vegetation Ms. Wyatt had spent years nurturing. Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Finish all dormant-season pruning to reshape your shrubs as soon as possible. Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 Large trees, shrubs and gardens help to provide hummingbirds with not only food but also a sense of protection and a place for resting in between meals. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2024 Female cicadas can damage several varieties of trees and shrubs. USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Evergreen or deciduous trees and shrubs work equally well. Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024 Beyond releasing more nutrients for more trees and shrubs to grow—a sort of self-perpetuating feedback loop—permafrost is also releasing planet-warming gases, driving still more warming: The microbes feeding on that ancient plant material release carbon dioxide and methane as byproducts. Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024 Varieties with chartreuse or variegated leaves, or more compact plants, typically performed just as well as the native plant, although caterpillar activity on shrub cultivars with red and purple leaves is still being studied. Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near shrub

Cite this Entry

“Shrub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrub. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shrub

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

More from Merriam-Webster on shrub

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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