This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
shrub
1[ shruhb ]
/ ʃrʌb /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a woody plant smaller than a tree, usually having multiple permanent stems branching from or near the ground.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Origin of shrub
1before 1000; Middle English shrubbe,Old English scrybb brushwood; cognate with dialectal Danish skrub
OTHER WORDS FROM shrub
shrubless, adjectiveshrublike, adjectiveWords nearby shrub
Other definitions for shrub (2 of 2)
shrub2
[ shruhb ]
/ ʃrʌb /
noun
any of various acidulated beverages made from the juice of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients, often including alcohol.
Origin of shrub
21740–50; <Arabic, metathetic variant of shurb drink; see sherbet
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use shrub in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for shrub (1 of 2)
shrub1
/ (ʃrʌb) /
noun
a woody perennial plant, smaller than a tree, with several major branches arising from near the base of the main stem
Derived forms of shrub
shrublike, adjectiveWord Origin for shrub
Old English scrybb; related to Middle Low German schrubben coarse, uneven, Old Swedish skrubba to scrub 1
British Dictionary definitions for shrub (2 of 2)
shrub2
/ (ʃrʌb) /
noun
a mixed drink of rum, fruit juice, sugar, and spice
mixed fruit juice, sugar, and spice made commercially to be mixed with rum or other spirits
Word Origin for shrub
C18: from Arabic sharāb, variant of shurb drink; see sherbet
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for shrub
shrub
[ shrŭb ]
A woody plant that is smaller than a tree, usually having several stems rather than a single trunk; a bush.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.