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Synonyms

shrub

1 American  
[shruhb] / ʃrʌb /

noun

  1. a woody plant smaller than a tree, usually having multiple permanent stems branching from or near the ground.

shrub 2 American  
[shruhb] / ʃrʌb /

noun

  1. any of various acidulated beverages made from the juice of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients, often including alcohol.

shrub 1 British  
/ ʃrʌb /

noun

  1. a woody perennial plant, smaller than a tree, with several major branches arising from near the base of the main stem

"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
shrub 2 British  
/ ʃrʌb /

noun

  1. a mixed drink of rum, fruit juice, sugar, and spice

  2. mixed fruit juice, sugar, and spice made commercially to be mixed with rum or other spirits

"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
shrub Scientific  
/ shrŭb /

  1. A woody plant that is smaller than a tree, usually having several stems rather than a single trunk; a bush.

Other Word Forms

  • shrubless adjective
  • shrublike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrub1

before 1000; Middle English shrubbe, Old English scrybb brushwood; cognate with dialectal Danish skrub

Origin of shrub2

1740–50; < Arabic, metathetic variant of shurb drink; see sherbet

Explanation

A shrub is a short, tree-like plant with many stems or branches. If you want to tastefully spruce up your front yard, you might plant a flowering shrub or two — or maybe you're the type who would prefer some plastic garden gnomes. Shrubs are similar to trees with two exceptions: they are shorter and have more individual stems, rather than a wide, thick trunk. Some plants, like a hazelnut, can grow into either a shrub or a tree. You can also call a shrub a bush. The origin of shrub is a bit uncertain, but some experts believe it shares a Scandinavian root with the Norwegian skrubba, "dwarf tree."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing shrub

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Although some savanna areas saw increases due to shrub growth, these gains were far too small to balance the losses.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

Enrollment declines opened the door to maintenance staff layoffs, giving the invasive shrub the upper hand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Oleandrin comes from Nerium oleander, a shrub that is deadly to humans; scientists warned the New York Times that the compound was not known to be safe.

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025

It describes the trees as "a slow-growing evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves".

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2025

My mother says that if people want to live in a place where every tree and shrub is put in place by a landscape architect, why don't they go live in a theme park?

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.