a toothed strip of plastic, hard rubber, bone, wood, or metal, used for arranging the hair, untangling it, or holding it in place.
a currycomb.
any comblike instrument, object, or formation.
the fleshy, more or less serrated outgrowth on the head of certain gallinaceous birds, especially the domestic fowl.
something resembling or suggesting this, as the crest of a wave.
a honeycomb, or any similar group of cells.
a machine for separating choice cotton or wool fibers from noil.
a comblike instrument for imparting a grainlike finish to a painted surface.
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a ridge of a roof.
a series of springlike prongs projecting from a spine, usually of plastic, for making a loose-leaf binding.
a trowel having a notched edge for applying adhesives in setting tiles or the like.
Armor. a ridge along the top of a helmet, especially of the morion.
Masonry. drag.
the upper edge of the buttstock of a rifle or shotgun.
to arrange or adorn (the hair) with a comb.
to use (something) in the manner of a comb.
She was slowly combing her fingers through her hair.
to remove (anything undesirable) with or as if with a comb.
She combed the snarls out of her hair. They combed the cowards from the group.
to search everywhere in.
He combed the files for the missing letter.
to separate (textile fibers) with a comb.
to scrape with or as with a comb.
to sweep across; rake.
High winds combed the seacoast.
combination.
combined.
combining.
combustion.
a toothed device of metal, plastic, wood, etc, used for disentangling or arranging hair
a tool or machine that separates, cleans, and straightens wool, cotton, etc
the fixed cutter on a sheep-shearing machine
anything resembling a toothed comb in form or function
the fleshy deeply serrated outgrowth on the top of the heads of certain birds, esp the domestic fowl
anything resembling the comb of a bird
a currycomb
a honeycomb
the row of fused cilia in a ctenophore
to examine very thoroughly
(tr) to use a comb on
to search or inspect with great care
the police combed the woods
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English comb, camb; cognate with Old High German kamb ( German Kamm ), Old Norse kambr, Greek gómphos “pin, peg,” gomphíos “molar tooth,” Slavic (Polish) ząb “tooth,” Tocharian A kam “tooth”; see cam 1, kempt
A comb is a tool for smoothing your hair. You might pull a comb through your curls before you run out the door in the morning to catch your bus. A comb is made of plastic or wood, with separate teeth that untangle strands of hair. When you use one, you comb: "I grabbed the comb so I could comb my cat before the photo shoot." Another way to comb is to rummage or search, the way you comb through your bag to find your car keys. The Old English root is camb, "crest" or "honeycomb," from a Germanic root that means "toothed object."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He took the extra time to brush his teeth and comb his hair, before putting on his blue jumpsuit and getting ushered into a van in handcuffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The museum also confirmed it lost a bust, brooches, a perfume bottle, two bracelets, comb, hatpin, belt buckle and several necklaces and pendants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Footage also shows crews continuing to comb through wreckage on Monday morning to find survivors.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Thanks to “Cosmic Music,” anyone interested in her life and work doesn’t have to go comb through microfilm or ancient magazines to learn more about this unbelievably accomplished and completely fascinating human being.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
She rubbed Tres Rosas oil in my hair and helped me comb it.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
“It’s two bald blokes fighting over a comb. Whoever wins will have their arse handed to them by Bayern on Sunday night.”
From The Guardian ● Aug. 18, 2020
“We are going through these with a fine-tooth comb. There is a very specific checklist.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2019
“No. Look I can prove it. That quarter on the hood, next to my comb. It’s from 1982. I left it in my pocket by mistake.”
From Nature ● Oct. 22, 2019
My daughter-in-law says, “Don’t do the comb. I don’t want him doing that in school — he’s 11.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2016
“Those are her things. Her clothes. Her soap. Her comb. Her brush. You went in her house, didn’t you?”
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
Frequency combs generated in this way could help synchronize very different systems, connecting ultrafast terahertz signals with conventional electronics or even quantum devices.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2026
Polygenic scoring combs through a person's DNA and calculates how likely they may be to develop a disease.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
First, it combs through what can be tens of thousands of recorded sales calls with customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
He quickly apologizes for his hair — in all of its shaggy, slightly curled glory — as he combs his fingers through it: “I’ve got a perm. Life is good.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
Extra clothes, books, scientific instruments and specimens, chess sets, flags, lanterns, tools, sewing kits, lucky talismans, razors, barometers, combs, scissors, playing cards, dishes, silverware, photographs—each man added to the heap.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
An AFP journalist at the scene saw numerous emergency vehicles lining a nearby road and a large tent erected as police combed the area.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
We've combed through it all, so you don't have to, and found six of the most interesting bits among the sea of numbers.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The May PCE report isn’t likely to be taken for granted by the market; it will be combed carefully and methodically for signs to either add to or dial back rate-hike bets.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
As the festival kicks off its 25th year, we combed through The Times’ extensive archives to take a trip down Coachella’s memory lane.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
She's the meanest of the guards but also the most elegant, with her neatly combed hair pinned into a tight knot.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
But after combing through the info we do have, Slate’s Heather Schwedel renders this brutally honest verdict.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
Wearing a hardhat and neon safety vest, the executive is shown combing the stadium for Lumen branding, with the result being that its logo is prominently displayed -- in the video, at least.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Just a week ago, nearly 200 rescue workers, mostly volunteers, were still combing the Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado National Forest searching for Jason Coughran, 60, after the hiker went missing on May 25.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
They have been combing nearby bush and desert for Jefferson Lewis, who was released from prison six days before Kumanjayi Little Baby disappeared and vanished around the same time.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
We were sitting on Holly’s queen-size bed, combing her dolls’ hair.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
