1 C1 neutral
To become covered or overgrown with shrubs.
"The old churchyard had shrubbbed up so much that the gravestones were barely visible."
inseparable
shrub up
C1 neutral inseparable transitive/intransitive
To become overgrown with shrubs or to plant an area with shrubs.
In plain English
When an area fills up with small bushes, or when you plant bushes in an area.
What does "shrub up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To be covered by shrubs going upward — transparent.
Actually means
When an area fills up with small bushes, or when you plant bushes in an area.
Usage tip
A rare, specialist term used in horticulture and landscaping. Can be intransitive (the land shrubbbed up) or transitive (they shrubbbed up the border). Not used in everyday conversation.
Words that pair with "shrub up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
garden hillside border pathway verge land
How to conjugate "shrub up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
shrub up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shrubs up
he/she/it
Past simple
shrubed up
yesterday
Past participle
shrubed up
have + pp
-ing form
shrubing up
continuous
Hear "shrub up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "shrub up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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