scrub

[ skruhb ]

/ skrʌb /

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See synonyms for: scrub / scrubbed / scrubbing / scrubs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), scrubbed, scrub·bing.

to rub hard with a brush, cloth, etc., or against a rough surface in washing.

to subject to friction; rub.

to remove (dirt, grime, etc.) from something by hard rubbing while washing.

Chemistry. to remove (impurities or undesirable components) from a gas by chemical means, as sulfur dioxide from smokestack gas or carbon dioxide from exhaled air in life-support packs.

to cancel or postpone (a space flight or part of a mission): Ground control scrubbed the spacewalk.

Slang. to do away with; cancel: Scrub your vacation plans—there's work to do!

Computers.

to perform routine maintenance on (data) in memory or storage with scans that detect and correct data corruption: The system is automated to scrub and archive all active records in the database.
to permanently erase (a hard drive, server, etc.), usually by writing over space where data had been stored and was later deleted, so that deleted data cannot be recovered: Scrub your computer’s hard drive before you sell or donate it.
to delete (negative or damaging online content relating to someone or something) so as to erase it from public record or social media: The marketing team scrubbed the disgraced celebrity spokesperson from their website within hours of the scandal.Before applying for jobs, I scrubbed a bunch of posts from my hard-partying past.

verb (used without object), scrubbed, scrub·bing.

to cleanse something by hard rubbing.

Digital Technology. to fast-forward or rewind in an audio or video file by dragging the progress marker forward or backward across the timeline bar: Scrub forward through the pregame and start playback from the kickoff.

noun

an act or instance of scrubbing.

a canceled or postponed space flight, launching, scheduled part of a space mission, etc.

something, as a cosmetic preparation, used for scrubbing.

scrubs, a uniform, durably designed for frequent washing and sanitizing, usually consisting of pants and a loose-fitting top, worn by doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, especially during surgery: surgical scrubs;nursing scrubs.

Verb Phrases

scrub in / up to cleanse one's hands and arms as a preparation to performing or assisting in surgery.

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Origin of scrub

First recorded in 1300–50; of uncertain origin; Middle English verb scrobben, shrubben, borrowed from or related to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German schrobben “to scrub, scrape”

OTHER WORDS FROM scrub

scrub·ba·ble, adjectivenon·scrub·ba·ble, adjective

Other definitions for scrub (2 of 2)

scrub²

[ skruhb ]

/ skrʌb /

noun

low trees or shrubs collectively.

a large area covered with low trees and shrubs, as the Australian bush.

a domestic animal of mixed or inferior breeding; mongrel.

a small or insignificant person.

anything undersized or inferior.

Sports. a player not belonging to the varsity or regular team; a player who is not first-string.

adjective

small, undersized, or stunted.

inferior or insignificant.

abounding in or covered with low trees and shrubs: They rode through scrub country.

Origin of scrub

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English shrub(be), shrob(be), Old English scrybb; see shrub¹

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

How to use scrub in a sentence

The first time you clean and wax your chain, make sure to thoroughly wash and scrub your bike’s drivetrain.
You Should Hot-Wax Your Bike Chains. Here's Why.|Joe Lindsey|November 6, 2020|Outside Online
You might need to scrub a little with a sponge or rag, but the buildup should be loose and the stains should come out easily.
The one ingredient you need to clean the dishwasher and four other gross household items|Sandra Gutierrez G.|November 5, 2020|Popular-Science
“Cleaning out a closet or scrubbing a floor, you know, the gratification is immediate, which is I think is what I need right now,” says Shaffer.
On a hump day for the ages, Americans try to act and feel normal|Maura Judkis, Ellen McCarthy, Ashley Fetters|November 4, 2020|Washington Post
To use it, just run warm water onto your cast iron, and scrub—no soap needed.
These pieces of kitchen gear make excellent gifts|PopSci Commerce Team|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science

The company's first attempt on September 28 was scrubbed due to thick clouds over the launch site at Kennedy Space Center.
SpaceX gets back on track with a stunning Starlink launch near sunrise|Eric Berger|October 6, 2020|Ars Technica
She works as a maid, scrubbing floors and toilets of the well-to-do families in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling|Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First-generation girls were scrubbing floors and helping out.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Carbon utilization can offset or even exceed, the additional cost of carbon scrubbing.
Yes, There’s a ‘War on Coal.’ Here’s How to End It.|Jonathan Miller|August 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Apart from slapping him and brutally scrubbing his body in the bath, she barely touched him.
Speed Read: 11 Most Shocking Moments From Pete Townshend’s ‘Who I Am’|Abby Haglage|October 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Van Dien remembers the 14-hour day he spent scrubbing, with buff extras doing push-ups between takes.
What Happened to Big-Screen Hunk Casper Van Dien?|Ramin Setoodeh|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Almost before I had completed the twofold process of shifting and scrubbing, the cloth was laid.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850|Various
The stain can be removed by vigorous scrubbing with soap, or it will wear off gradually in a few days.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron)|William Anderson Syme
She looked at her hands and straightway she fell to scrubbing them with soap as she had never scrubbed them before.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine|John Fox, Jr.
The floors were bare, and not infrequently stood sadly in need of scrubbing.
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts
Into every crack and corner went Josie's broom and scrubbing brush.
Mary Louise and Josie O'Gorman|Emma Speed Sampson

British Dictionary definitions for scrub (1 of 2)

scrub¹

/ (skrʌb) /

verb scrubs, scrubbing or scrubbed

to rub (a surface) hard, with or as if with a brush, soap, and water, in order to clean it

to remove (dirt), esp by rubbing with a brush and water

(intr foll by up) (of a surgeon) to wash the hands and arms thoroughly before operating

(tr) to purify (a vapour or gas) by removing impurities

(tr) informal to delete or cancel

(intr) horse racing slang (of jockeys) to urge a horse forwards by moving the arms and whip rhythmically forwards and backwards alongside its neck

noun

the act of or an instance of scrubbing

Word Origin for scrub

C14: from Middle Low German schrubben, or Middle Dutch schrobben

British Dictionary definitions for scrub (2 of 2)

scrub²

/ (skrʌb) /

noun

vegetation consisting of stunted trees, bushes, and other plants growing in an arid area
(as modifier)scrub vegetation

an area of arid land covered with such vegetation

an animal of inferior breeding or condition
(as modifier)a scrub bull

a small or insignificant person

anything stunted or inferior

sport, US and Canadian a player not in the first team

the scrub Australian informal a remote place, esp one where contact with people can be avoided

adjective

small, stunted, or inferior

sport, US and Canadian

(of a player) not in the first team
(of a team) composed of such players
(of a contest) between scratch or incomplete teams

Word Origin for scrub

C16: variation of shrub 1

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

scrub

Origin of scrub

OTHER WORDS FROM scrub

Other definitions for scrub (2 of 2)

Origin of scrub

Words related to scrub

How to use scrub in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scrub (1 of 2)

Word Origin for scrub

British Dictionary definitions for scrub (2 of 2)

Word Origin for scrub