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

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. 2022

How to use scour in a sentence

Their customers now understand those risks, too, if they’ve spent hours scouring stores for toilet paper or months waiting for a new refrigerator.
What changes after covid-19? I’m betting on everything.|Megan McArdle|November 29, 2020|Washington Post
They scoured deeds, newspaper stories and genealogical documents to discover who had lived in it.
This might be Washington’s oldest house, but it came from New England|John Kelly|November 28, 2020|Washington Post
Encouraging vaccine news has Wall Street searching for stocks to play the rebound—scouring the market for names that have been beaten up amid the pandemic but poised to boom once things return to normal.
Bet on these stocks for the millennial-powered COVID recovery, says Goldman’s Katie Koch|Anne Sraders|November 28, 2020|Fortune
Things to consider when buying wireless headphonesAs you begin your journey towards wireless listening, there are a few things you should keep in mind when scouring the virtual shelves.
Best wireless headphones: Five things to consider|Carsen Joenk|November 25, 2020|Popular-Science

When the pandemic began in March, he scoured studies in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and other top-flight medical journals, preparing himself, and his county, for the virus’s arrival.
Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator.|by Annie Waldman and Heather Vogell|November 23, 2020|ProPublica
There is a large area to be scoured and the amount of time the airplane can spend over its assigned zone is critical.
Was MH370 Carrying Killer Cargo?|Clive Irving|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once the sand was plowed back onto the beaches, volunteers scoured it for any flotsam that got through the sifting machines.
Superstorm Who? Sandy’s Hard-Hit Beach Towns Reopen for Business|Eliza Shapiro, Josh Dzieza|May 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nasaw has had full access to family documents and scoured the archives.
“The Patriarch”: Joseph Kennedy Sr.’s Outsized Life|Jacob Heilbrunn|November 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
My captors scoured the web for information about me and discovered our history in Bosnia.
Richard Holbrooke's Last Mission in Afghanistan by David Rohde|David Rohde|November 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Investigators scoured the area over the weekend, questioning her family and friends.
French Aristocrat Murder Mystery|Dana Kennedy|April 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The day dawned with a steady drizzle of rain, and, after a poor attempt at breakfast, I scoured the neighbourhood for a taxi.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
They scoured every main artery and side road and cart track for miles in every direction, he and Johnny the Itch.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Again the smoothbore roared and a handful of balls scoured another thicket.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
The loyalist forces now scoured the insurgent districts, and it was found impossible to prevent many excesses from taking place.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
He supposed they had scoured all Jursa for a real beauty to dazzle him; but they would discover that it would not work.
The Envoy, Her|Horace Brown Fyfe

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

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