scourscour /skaʊə $ skaʊr/ verb [transitive] 
Word Origin Examples
Her family began to scour the countryside for a suitable house.2 (also scour out) to clean something very thoroughly by rubbing it with a rough material SYN scrub: Ada was scouring out the pans.3 (also scour out) to form a hole by continuous movement over a long period: Over the years, the stream had scoured out a round pool in the rock.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINscour
Verb TableOrigin:
1 1400-1500 Probably from a Scandinavian language. 2-3 1100-1200 Probably from Middle Dutch schuren, from Old French escurer, from Late Latin excurare ‘to clean off’, from Latin cura ‘care’VERB TABLE
scour
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | scour |
| he, she, it | scours | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | scoured |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have scoured |
| he, she, it | has scoured | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had scoured |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will scour |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have scoured |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am scouring |
| he, she, it | is scouring | |
| you, we, they | are scouring | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was scouring |
| you, we, they | were scouring | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been scouring |
| he, she, it | has been scouring | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been scouring |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be scouring |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been scouring |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Scour the bowl with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
- A team of detectives is scouring the area for the murder weapon.
- Developers are scouring the country for possible sites for these new superstores.
- He spent half an hour scouring the newspaper for any mention of the fire.
- I scoured the pots and pans.
- Rescue teams scoured the ruins for signs of more victims.
- Forensic scientists have scoured the scene but have not come up with any conclusive evidence.
- He caught a towel and, dragging his helmet off, scoured his face and his neck.
- I rotated the nails so that a cheese paring of wax was scoured from the surface of the drum.
- In similar lessons in all sorts of schools, the students go on to scour textbooks and library books for more facts.
- Last night Skegness lifeboat and a number of coastal rescue teams were scouring six miles of shoreline.
- Potato starch, rather than harmful chemicals, is being used for scouring in the finishing process.
- She scours flea markets and will either repair her purchases or leave them, depending on the extent of the damage.
- That means either scouring the nation for a candidate of lesser renown, or hiring from within.
Longman Language Activatorto clean something with a brush► brush
Collocations to clean something with a brush: · You should brush your jacket -- it's covered in dust.brush something off: · I brushed the crumbs off the sofa.brush your teeth: · Have you brushed your teeth yet?
► scrub to clean something by rubbing it hard with a brush and some water or soap: · Part of my job was to wash the dishes and scrub the floors.· Scrub the potatoes and boil them for 5-10 minutes.
► sweep to clean the floor or the ground using a brush with a long handle: · When everyone had left, Ed swept the floor.sweep up something/sweep something up (=remove something from a floor by sweeping): · Can you help me sweep up all the pieces of glass?
► scour to rub a cooking pan or hard surface with a piece of rough material in order to clean it: · I scoured the pots and pans.· Scour the bowl with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
to look for information in a book, on a computer etc► search to look for information, a document, an Internet page etc on a computer: · You can search on the Internet for the names of dealers in your area.· I searched a few websites, but couldn't find the information I was looking for.
► surf: surf the net/Internet to look at a lot of pages on the Internet, looking for something that interests you: · Many youngsters spend hours surfing the net.
► look up to try to find information by looking in a book, on a list, in computer records: look up something: · If you look up the title of the book, you should then find the author.look something up: · If you don't know what it means, look it up in the dictionary.
► go through to carefully examine a piece of writing, a set of documents, an official record etc in order to find a piece of information or check that there are no mistakes: · He went through the contract quite carefully, checking all the details.· I've finished my essay, but I just need to go through it to check for spelling mistakes.
► trawl/trawl through to look through a large number of records, documents etc for a particular thing or piece of information: · She spent hours trawling through patients' medical records looking for evidence of negligence by doctors.
► scour to read a piece of writing or document very carefully in order to find a piece of information that you need: · He spent half an hour scouring the newspaper for any mention of the fire.
► browse to look for information on the Internet using a computer, especially when you do not know exactly what information you need or where to find it: · Browsing the net one afternoon, I came across Tom's homepage.· One company said that up to half of their employees spend over an hour's work time a day browsing the web.
to search a place to try to find someone or something► search · At the site, rescue workers have been searching systematically in the hope of finding more survivors.search a place/area etc · Police have searched the area near his home, but have so far found nothing.search (a place) for · Local people are still searching woods near the victim's home for any clues to help find her killer.
► scour to search an area very carefully and thoroughly, looking for something that is very important: scour a place for: · A team of detectives is scouring the area for the murder weapon.· Developers are scouring the country for possible sites for these new superstores.
► comb to thoroughly examine a large area in great detail, especially by moving across it, looking for something or someone that is difficult to find: · Police and volunteers are combing the countryside in the hope of finding the missing boy.· Rescuers combed the hillsides but found no trace of the missing climbers.comb a place for: · The children combed the shoreline for shells.
► drag a river/pond etc to search for something in a river, lake etc by pulling a heavy net along the bottom: · The murder weapon, a kitchen knife, was found when police dragged a nearby pond.
► ransack to search a room, house, cupboard etc very thoroughly and roughly in order to find things or steal things, usually causing a lot of untidiness or damage: · Thieves broke in and ransacked the house.· The newspaper's offices were ransacked by members of the secret police.
► raid if the police raid a place, they arrive there suddenly to look for criminals, drugs, or stolen goods: · The Casino nightclub has been closed since it was raided last month.· Police officers raided a house in North London last night, and found substantial quantities of illegal drugs.
► turn somewhere inside out/upside down to search a house, a room etc very thoroughly, often making it very untidy: · We turned all the cupboards inside out but couldn't find the letters.· I turned the house upside down looking for my birth certificate.
WORD SETS► Cleaningbin, nounbin liner, nounboil, verbborax, nounBrillo pad, nounbroom, nounbroomstick, nouncarpet sweeper, nounchar, verbchar, nouncharlady, nouncharwoman, nounchimney sweep, nouncleaner, nouncleanser, nounclothes basket, nounclothesline, nounclothes peg, nounconditioner, noundeodorize, verbdescale, verbdisinfect, verbdisinfectant, noundry-clean, verbdust, verbduster, noundustpan, nounfabric softener, nounfeather duster, nounflush, verbFrench polish, nounfumigate, verbhamper, nounHoover, nounhoover, verbhygiene, nounhygienic, adjectivekitchen roll, nounlaundry basket, nounlimescale, nounline, nounload, nounmangle, nounmop, nounmop, verbpolish, nounrag, nounrinse, verbrinse, nounsanitary, adjectivesanitation, nounscour, verbscourer, nounscrub, verbscrub, nounscrubbing brush, nounshampoo, nounsoak, verbsoak, nounsoapflakes, nounsoap powder, nounsoapsuds, nounsoapy, adjectivesoda, nounsoftener, nounspin, verbspin-dryer, nounsqueegee, nounstarch, verbsuds, nounswab, verbsweep, verbsweep, nounsweeper, nounsweepings, nounswill, verbswill, nountea cloth, nountea towel, nountide-mark, nounturpentine, nounturps, nounvacuum, nounvacuum, verbvacuum cleaner, nounwash, nounwashable, adjectivewashboard, nounwashcloth, nounwashday, nounwasher, nounwasher-dryer, nounwashing, nounwashing line, nounwashing machine, nounwashing powder, nounwashing soda, nounwashing-up, nounwashing-up liquid, nounwashtub, nounwhisk broom, nounwindow cleaner, nounwipe, verbwire wool, nounwring, verbwringer, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► out
1to search very carefully and thoroughly through an area, a document etcscour something for something· They felt as if they'd been scoured out with a Brillo pad.
NOUN► city· Army bomb disposal experts scoured the city for 5 hours, after receiving a coded telephone message.· So in 1990, it began scouring the city for a suitable new location.
► country· It was their job to buy horses for the New Model Army and scour the country for food and provisions.· We're scouring the country for some one.
► countryside· He peered out through the windscreen and side-windows, scouring the surrounding countryside.· They scoured the countryside for milk, and conjured up their best skill to prepare dainty viands for her little ladyship.· Goblin wolf riders raid and pillage far afield, while outriders scour the surrounding countryside for any sign of enemy armies.· Carey was scouring the countryside for provisions.· In another scavenging operation, a small company called Medway Tin scours the countryside for dumps left by the miners of old.· In spite of the heat, parties in full dress uniform were sent to scour the countryside.
Her family began to scour the countryside for a suitable house.2 (also scour out) to clean something very thoroughly by rubbing it with a rough material SYN scrub: Ada was scouring out the pans.3 (also scour out) to form a hole by continuous movement over a long period: Over the years, the stream had scoured out a round pool in the rock.