Shrew Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms shrew 1 American [shroo] / ʃru /

noun

1. a woman of violent temper and speech; termagant.

   Synonyms: scold , nag , virago

shrew 2 American [shroo] / ʃru /

noun

1. any of several small, mouselike insectivores of the genus Sorex and related genera, having a long, sharp snout.

shrew British / ʃruː /

noun

1. Also called: shrewmouse. any small mouse-like long-snouted mammal, such as Sorex araneus ( common shrew ), of the family Soricidae: order Insectivora (insectivores) See also water shrew

2. a bad-tempered or mean-spirited woman

"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

Other Word Forms

• shrewlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrew1

1200–50; Middle English; special use of shrew 2

Origin of shrew1

before 900; Middle English (only in compounds), Old English scrēawa

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.

Small animals like water voles and shrews, which live in burrows, can survive fast-moving fires but their habitats and the food they rely on are destroyed.

From BBC

In one recent animal study, tree shrews were made to look at a digital device.

From Salon

Lyell shrew, a mouse-like mammal that lives in the central Sierra Nevada, has never been photographed in the 100 years since it was discovered.

From Los Angeles Times

Historically, women wheelchair users in films are depicted as sad, confined women or vicious shrews.

From Salon

For smaller omnivorous and carnivorous mammals such as masked palm civets or elephant shrews, nectar can act as a high-calorie supplement.

From Science Magazine

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.