scour

/'skauə/

Thân thiện

The police scoured the countryside for the missing hiker.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To clean or polish something by rubbing it hard with a rough material or brush: This is the most common meaning, involving vigorous scrubbing to remove dirt, grime, or stains.
   • To flush or rinse out a space or object with a liquid, often under pressure: This meaning focuses on cleaning by forcing a liquid through.
   • To search an area thoroughly and energetically: This figurative meaning describes a very careful and extensive search over a wide area.

Examples of Usage

• Verb (Cleaning by rubbing):
  • She had to scour the old pot to remove the burnt food.
  • Use this powder to scour the sink until it shines.
• Verb (Flushing/Rinsing):
  • The vet will scour the wound with an antiseptic solution.
  • Scour the pipe with water to clear the blockage.
• Verb (Searching thoroughly):
  • Police scoured the woods for the missing child.
  • I scoured the internet for that rare book.

Advanced Usage

• "to scour away": to remove something by vigorous scrubbing or cleaning.
  • It took hours to scour away the rust from the metal gate.
• "to scour out": to clean the inside of something thoroughly.
  • Remember to scour out the coffee pot after each use.

Variants and Related Words

• Scourer (n): a pad, brush, or substance used for scouring.
  • She used a metal scourer on the tough stains.
• Scouring (n): the action of scouring.
  • The scouring of the riverbed changed its course.

Synonyms

• Scrub: to rub hard in order to clean.
• Search: to look for thoroughly (for the "search" meaning).
• Flush: to cleanse with a sudden flow of liquid.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Scour off: to remove something by scouring.
  • You can scour off the old paint with this chemical.
• Scour for: to search intensively for something.
  • Reporters scoured the city for information about the event.

Related Idioms

• No direct common idioms are primarily built on the verb "scour." Its idiomatic use is largely contained within its phrasal verbs and the figurative meaning of conducting an exhaustive search.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a place that is scoured (especially by running water)

Verb

1. rinse, clean, or empty with a liquid
   • flush the wound with antibiotics
   • purge the old gas tank
2. rub hard or scrub
   • scour the counter tops
3. clean with hard rubbing
   • She scrubbed his back
4. examine minutely
   • The police scoured the country for the fugitive

Từ đồng nghĩa

• flush
• purge
• abrade
• scrub