scour

[ skouuhr, skou-er ]

/ skaʊər, ˈskaʊ ər /

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.

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Origin of scour

1250–1300; Middle English scouren (v.) <Middle Dutch scūren<Old French escurer<Latin excūrāre to take care of (Medieval Latin escūrāre to clean), equivalent to ex-ex-¹ + cūrāre to care for

SYNONYMS FOR scour

1 burnish, buff, shine, rub.

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Definition 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.

Origin of scour

1250–1300; Middle English scouren; perhaps <Old Norse skūrshower¹

SYNONYMS FOR scour

1 comb, rake, scan.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for scour

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
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
Had Palin scoured a thesaurus, she could not have come up with a more inflammatory phrase.
Palin Goes Nuclear With 'Blood Libel' Speech|Howard Kurtz|January 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
An avid, fearless cyclist, Smith often scoured the flat, sprawling borders of Los Angeles on one of his bicycles.
Chasen Murderer's Secret Past|A. L. Bardach|December 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST

They were obliged to draft an indictment, and they scoured The Satanic Verses for evidence.
How I Hid Salman Rushdie During the Fatwa|Geoffrey Robertson|February 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Paint and floors were scoured; walls swept; beds shaken and sunned, and furniture polished.
Bee and Butterfly|Lucy Foster Madison
At daybreak the roads would be scoured and inquiries telegraphed in every direction.
The Woman in Black|Edmund Clerihew Bentley
The children, regardless of shell fire, scoured the fields for shrapnel bullets and bits of shells.
Young Hilda at the Wars|Arthur Gleason
It scoured the paint and tinsel cities, thrust the highest of their towers, a blackened ruin, to the ground.
The Personality of American Cities|Edward Hungerford
Little he guessed that even then she was scouring kettles in the kitchen below and weeping as she scoured.
Wonder Tales from Many Lands|Katharine Pyle

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

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scour

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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Origin of scour

SYNONYMS FOR scour

Definition for scour (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of scour

SYNONYMS FOR scour

Example sentences from the Web for scour

British Dictionary definitions for scour (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of scour

Word Origin for scour

British Dictionary definitions for scour (2 of 2)

verb

Word Origin for scour

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

scour

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

QUIZZES

IS YOUR DESERT PLANT KNOWLEDGE SUCCULENT OR DRIED UP?

Origin of scour

SYNONYMS FOR scour

Definition for scour (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of scour

SYNONYMS FOR scour

Words related to scour

Example sentences from the Web for scour

British Dictionary definitions for scour (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Derived forms of scour

Word Origin for scour

British Dictionary definitions for scour (2 of 2)

verb

Word Origin for scour