scour

[ skouuhr, skou-er ]

/ skaʊər, ˈskaʊ ər /

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See synonyms for: scour / scouring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to remove dirt, grease, etc., from or to cleanse or polish by hard rubbing, as with a rough or abrasive material: to scour pots and pans.

to remove (dirt, grease, etc.) from something by hard rubbing: to scour grease from pots and pans.

to clear or dig out (a channel, drain, etc.) as by the force of water, by removing debris, etc.

to purge thoroughly, as an animal.

to clear or rid of what is undesirable: to scour the nation of spies.

to remove by or as if by cleansing; get rid of.

to clean or rid of debris, impurities, etc., by or as if by washing, as cotton or wool.

Metallurgy. (of the contents of a blast furnace) to rub against and corrode (the refractory lining).

verb (used without object)

to rub a surface in order to cleanse or polish it.

to remove dirt, grease, etc.

to become clean and shiny.

to be capable of being cleaned by rubbing: The roasting pan scours easily.

(of a plow, cultivator, etc.) to pass through the ground without soil clinging to the blade.

(of a plow, shovel, etc.) to become polished from use.

noun

the act of scouring.

the place scoured.

an apparatus or material used in scouring; scourer: Sand is a good scour.

the erosive force of moving water, as in a river or sea.

Usually scours. (used with a singular or plural verb)Veterinary Pathology. diarrhea in horses and cattle caused by intestinal infection.

OTHER WORDS FOR scour

1 burnish, buff, shine, rub.

See synonyms for scour on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of scour

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb scoure(n), score(n), from Middle Dutch sc(h)ūren, Middle Low German schüren, from Old French escurer (compare Medieval Latin escūrāre ), from Latin excūrāre “to take good care of,” equivalent to ex-¹ + cūrāre “to care for”; see cure

Words nearby scour

Scott, Sir Walter, Scotty, Scotus, scoundrel, scoundrelly, scour, scoured, scourer, scourge, scouring pad, scouring rush

Other definitions for scour (2 of 2)

scour²

[ skouuhr, skou-er ]

/ skaʊər, ˈskaʊ ər /

verb (used with object)

to range over, as in a search: They scoured the countryside for the lost child.

to run or pass quickly over or along.

verb (used without object)

to range about, as in search of something.

to move rapidly or energetically.

OTHER WORDS FOR scour

1 comb, hunt, rake, ransack.

See synonyms for scour on Thesaurus.com

Origin of scour

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English scouren, scure; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old Norse skūr “storm, shower, shower of missles”; perhaps from Old French ecsour(r)e, escorir “to rush out or forth,” from Latin excurrere

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scour in a sentence

Donald Rabin had scoured train after train in Chicago for four hours.
‘FLUTE EMERGENCY’: A musician forgot his $22,000 instrument on a Chicago train. A homeless man found it.|Andrea Salcedo|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
She scoured literature, art, philosophy and psychology to describe how society often attaches a moral dimension to illness.
The virus caused more than a pandemic. It set us all ablaze.|Philip Kennicott|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Families have spent hours on the hotlines, scoured appointments on platforms like the ticket sales site Eventbrite, and posted desperately on local news sites like Patch and Nextdoor.
People are fed up with broken vaccine appointment tools — so they’re building their own|Tanya Basu|February 1, 2021|MIT Technology Review
That said, the model still predicts some snow in the storm’s initial phase early Sunday before the cold air is scoured out and precipitation changes to a wintry mix and rain, not unlike the storm system Monday night.
Washington receives first measurable snow in 372 days, with another threat looming Sunday|Jason Samenow, Wes Junker|January 26, 2021|Washington Post

Lately, though, “Polly thought her mind was a river, constantly scouring and pooling, constantly disappearing, filling with details that glinted and vanished.”
In ‘The Center of Everything,’ a woman with a brain injury tries to make sense of her thoughts — and her past|Ellen Akins|January 20, 2021|Washington Post
A delightful cast battles over a will and a stolen painting as a horde of pseudo-Nazis scour the mountains for fugitives.
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ Review: Wes Anderson’s Best Ever Is a Whimsical Crime Caper|Nico Hines|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Immediately after the attack, Philip used his searchlights to scour the ocean for survivors to rescue.
The Grand Old Duke of Edinburgh: Why Everybody Loves Phil|Tom Sykes|November 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Every day, the two men, part of a 25-person outreach force, scour the streets looking for people everyone else wants to ignore.
Advocates Reached Out to Ronald Poppo Before He Was Face-Eating Victim|Aram Roston|June 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Immediately after the attack, Philip used his searchlights to scour the ocean for survivors.
12 Juicy Bits From the Prince Philip Biography|Tom Sykes|November 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Geophysical Research Letters: Bottom scour observed under Hurricane Ivan.
The Gulf's Next Disaster|Dominique Browning|June 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And it seems likely that the King loved him all the more because he could cook and scour for his sake.
The Library of Work and Play: Housekeeping|Elizabeth Hale Gilman
It isn't that the floor is not scoured, for you cannot scour dry mud into anything but wet mud.
The Kellys and the O'Kellys|Anthony Trollope
He sent off the old man to scour the pantry for a supper for me, and then pushed open the door and led me into the room.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
But Felix was thinking about "Scour, mop, and dry it," as he looked at the snow-covered patch of land.
Little Folks|Various
Can you not turn for one look in your enemy's face, ere you scour away before him like a herd of frightened deer?
Sarchedon|G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville

British Dictionary definitions for scour (1 of 2)

scour¹

/ (skaʊə) /

verb

to clean or polish (a surface) by washing and rubbing, as with an abrasive cloth

to remove dirt from or have the dirt removed from

(tr) to clear (a channel) by the force of water; flush

(tr) to remove by or as if by rubbing

(intr) (of livestock, esp cattle) to have diarrhoea

(tr) to cause (livestock) to purge their bowels

(tr) to wash (wool) to remove wax, suint, and other impurities

noun

the act of scouring

the place scoured, esp by running water

something that scours, such as a cleansing agent

(often plural) prolonged diarrhoea in livestock, esp cattle

Derived forms of scour

scourer, noun

Word Origin for scour

C13: via Middle Low German schūren, from Old French escurer, from Late Latin excūrāre to cleanse, from cūrāre; see cure

British Dictionary definitions for scour (2 of 2)

scour²

/ (skaʊə) /

verb

to range over (territory), as in making a search

to move swiftly or energetically over (territory)

Word Origin for scour

C14: from Old Norse skūr

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

scour

OTHER WORDS FOR scour

Origin of scour

Words nearby scour

Other definitions for scour (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR scour

Origin of scour

Words related to scour

How to use scour in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scour (1 of 2)

Derived forms of scour

Word Origin for scour

British Dictionary definitions for scour (2 of 2)

Word Origin for scour