shrub
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
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a mixed drink of rum, fruit juice, sugar, and spice
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mixed fruit juice, sugar, and spice made commercially to be mixed with rum or other spirits
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing shrub
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.
Ptilotus senarius is a delicate shrub with purple pink flowers that resemble small feathered fireworks.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
A hawthorn is a shrub, often used in hedges, whose sharp thorns catch on intruders’ clothes or skin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 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
I can't lurk in the shadow of this squat shrub for much longer.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
