scoured

American  

[skou^uhrd, skou-erd] / skaʊərd, ˈskaʊ ərd /

adjective

1. cleansed or polished by hard rubbing, as with a rough or abrasive material.

   American society, through advertising, associates the scent of lemon with a freshly scoured kitchen.

2. cleared or dug out, as by the force of water, glaciers, etc..

   Muskeget Channel, located between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, is a deeply scoured channel with strong tidal currents.

3. (of cotton, wool, etc.) cleaned or made free of impurities, debris, etc., by or as if by washing.

   When dried, the scoured wool is usually carded and combed before the process of spinning.

4. cleared or made free of anything undesirable; cleansed.

   It is from a scoured soul and a sober heart that prayer is engaged.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of scour.

Etymology

Origin of scoured

scour ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

So we scoured for stocks in the fund that have recently hit what look like the strongest outperformance versus the sector.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

When mortgage broker Market Financial Solutions collapsed in February, investors scoured court filings and queried lenders to see who took the hit.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

That might sound like the bare minimum, but as he scoured around for the ideal spot, the former international found many were tailored for NFL, basketball or baseball teams.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

"We scoured the scientific literature to find examples of pathogens infecting T cells. We found very few examples," said Harris, part of UVA's Department of Neuroscience.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

The floor had been fresh-sanded, the hearthstone polished, the pewter scoured.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare