scrub

[skruhb]

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!

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

to cleanse something by hard rubbing.

to cleanse one's hands and arms as a preparation to performing or assisting in surgery (often followed by up).

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.

Origin of scrub

1300–50; Middle English scrobben (noun) < Middle Dutch schrobben

Related formsscrub·ba·ble, adjectivenon·scrub·ba·ble, adjective

scrub

[skruhb]

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

1350–1400; Middle English < Scandinavian; compare dialectal Danish skrub brushwood; see shrub¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for scrubs

rub, mop, wash, brush, cleanse, scour, abort, polish, abrade, buff, abandon, delete, drop, discontinue, abolish

Examples from the Web for scrubs

Contemporary Examples of scrubs

Blake escapes from the Scrubs, hides out near the prison, and then makes his way across Europe to Moscow.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Zach Braff and Donald Faison The Scrubs stars reunited to sing this holiday duet.
The Most WTF Covers of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Everyone’s Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic
Kevin Fallon
November 19, 2014
“No Scrubs,” an anthem about self-respect on the dating market.
Beyoncé Is Our Indigo Girl: The Halcyon '90s and Feminism's Resurgence in Pop Music
Amanda Marcotte
August 26, 2014
Cobb ultimately met and married Scrubs star Donald Faison, and now finds herself walking red carpets as his Mrs.
When Your BFF Is a Hollywood VIP
Keli Goff
March 11, 2014
"Creep," "No Scrubs," and "Unpretty," obviously, were huge crowd pleasers.
TLC Reunites for a New York City Concert. Dreams Do Come True
Kevin Fallon
January 31, 2014

Historical Examples of scrubs

She reads when she knits, she reads when she scrubs, she even reads when she feeds her babies.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
It realises the dream of some insane hygienist: it scrubs the sky.
A Miscellany of Men
G. K. Chesterton
"They certainly are scrubs," she repeated as she bent for a closer inspection.
Hester's Counterpart
Jean K. Baird
One more fierce attempt, and the ball went to the scrubs on downs.
Bert Wilson on the Gridiron
J. W. Duffield
Were they to have a defeat "slapped" upon them by the scrubs?
Bert Wilson on the Gridiron
J. W. Duffield

British Dictionary definitions for scrubs

scrubs

pl n

the hygienic clothing worn by surgeons and other operating theatre staff during an operation

scrub

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

scrub

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

Word Origin and History for scrubs

scrub

"rub hard," early 15c., earlier shrubben (c.1300), perhaps from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schrubben "to scrub," or from an unrecorded Old English cognate, or from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish skrubbe "to scrub"), probably ultimately from the Proto-Germanic root of shrub, used as a cleaning tool (cf. the evolution of broom, brush (n.1)).

Meaning "to cancel" is attested from 1828 (popularized during World War II with reference to flights), probably from notion of "to rub out, erase" an entry on a listing. Related: Scrubbed; scrubbing.

scrub

n.1

late 14c., "low, stunted tree," variant of shrobbe (see shrub), perhaps influenced by a Scandinavian word (cf. Danish dialectal skrub "a stunted tree, brushwood"). Collective sense "brush, shrubs" is attested from 1805. As an adjective from 1710. Scrub oak recorded from 1766.

Transferred sense of "mean, insignificant fellow" is from 1580s; U.S. sports meaning "athlete not on the varsity team" is recorded from 1892, probably from this, but cf. scrub "hard-working servant, drudge" (1709), perhaps from influence of scrub (v.).

scrub

n.2

"act of scrubbing," 1620s, from scrub (v.). Meaning "thing that is used in scrubbing" is from 1680s.