Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To search through or over thoroughly.
- intransitive verb To range over (an area) quickly and energetically.
- intransitive verb To range over or about an area, especially in a search.
- intransitive verb To move swiftly; scurry.
- intransitive verb To clean, polish, or wash by scrubbing vigorously.
- intransitive verb To remove by scrubbing.
- intransitive verb To remove dirt or grease from (cloth or fibers) by means of a detergent.
- intransitive verb To clean (wheat) before the milling process.
- intransitive verb To clear (an area) by freeing of weeds or other vegetation.
- intransitive verb To clear (a channel or pipe) by flushing.
- intransitive verb To scrub something in order to clean or polish it.
- intransitive verb To have diarrhea. Used of livestock.
- noun A scouring action or effect.
- noun A place that has been scoured, as by flushing with water.
- noun A cleansing agent for wool.
- noun Diarrhea in livestock.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The clearing action of a strong, swift current through a narrow channel; the removal of more or less of the material at the bottom of a river or tidal channel by the action of a current of water flowing over it with sufficient velocity to produce this effect.
- noun A kind of diarrhea or dysentery among cattle or other animals; violent purging.
- noun The material used in scouring or cleansing woolens, etc.
- To pass through the soil without the latter adhering, the blade being thus rubbed bright: said of an agricultural implement.
- To run with celerity; scamper; scurry off or along.
- To rove or range for the purpose of sweeping or taking something.
- To run quickly over or along, especially in quest or as if in quest of something.
- noun The violent removal of sand by the wind, especially when it blows through a funnel-shaped pass or canon.
- To cleanse by hard rubbing; clean by friction; make clean and bright on the surface by rubbing; brighten.
- To cleanse from grease and dirt by rubbing or scrubbing thoroughly with soap, washing, rinsing, etc.; cleanse by scrubbing and the use of certain chemical appliances: as, to
scour blankets, carpets, articles of dress, etc.; to scour woolens. - To cleanse or clean out by flushing, or by a violent flood of water.
- To purge thoroughly or with violence; purge drastically.
- To cleanse thoroughly in any way; free entirely from impurities, or whatever obstructs or is undesirable; clear; sweep clear; rid.
- To remove by scouring; cleanse away; obliterate; efface.
- To run over and scatter; clean out.
- To rub a surface for the purpose of cleansing it.
- To cleanse cloth; remove dirt or grease from a texture.
- To be purged thoroughly or violently; use strong purgatives.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To clean anything by rubbing.
- intransitive verb To cleanse anything.
- intransitive verb To be purged freely; to have a diarrhœa.
- intransitive verb To run swiftly; to rove or range in pursuit or search of something; to scamper.
- noun Diarrhœa or dysentery among cattle.
- noun The act of scouring.
- noun A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a fall.
- transitive verb To rub hard with something rough, as sand or Bristol brick, especially for the purpose of cleaning; to clean by friction; to make clean or bright; to cleanse from grease, dirt, etc., as articles of dress.
- transitive verb To purge.
- transitive verb To remove by rubbing or cleansing; to sweep along or off; to carry away or remove, as by a current of water; -- often with
off oraway . - transitive verb To pass swiftly over; to brush along; to traverse or search thoroughly.
- transitive verb To cleanse or clear, as by a current of water; to flush.
- transitive verb a tumbling barrel. See under
Tumbling . - transitive verb (Metal.) a basic slag, which attacks the lining of a shaft furnace.
- transitive verb (Bot.) See Dutch rush, under
Dutch .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Unlike Mr. Obama who thinks now is the time to read line by line -- to "scour" -- spending bills he has already
E-nough! 2009
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It seems like every month, obscure recordings and nearly impossible to find tracks are being rereleased as independent labels scour the catalogs of defunct record companies, searching for buried treasure.
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It seems like every month, obscure recordings and nearly impossible to find tracks are being rereleased as independent labels scour the catalogs of defunct record companies, searching for buried treasure.
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It seems like every month, obscure recordings and nearly impossible to find tracks are being rereleased as independent labels scour the catalogs of defunct record companies, searching for buried treasure.
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Blowing up the windward slope, wind will "scour" snow off the surface, carry it over the summit, and deposit it on the leeward side.
Avalanche 2008
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In other words, they kind of scour the area the first time and here they go for round two.
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What we've done is, to kind of scour the world, to get everybody else to increase production, so we're giving people an option.
CNN Transcript - Special Event: Ford Motor Company Talks About Tire Controversy - August 29, 2000 2000
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More than once Governor Harrison had asked for authority to raise an army with which to "scour" the Wabash territory.
The Old Northwest : A chronicle of the Ohio Valley and beyond Frederic Austin Ogg 1914
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Cast-iron plows, as well as the steel plows of that date, were very heavy, wore out rapidly -- the metal being soft -- and didn't "scour," except in the purer sands and gravels.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 11 Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Businessmen Elbert Hubbard 1885
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A strong breakwater, about 800 feet long, was also run out from the south shore, leaving a space of about 250 feet as an entrance, thereby giving greater protection to the shipping in the harbour, while the contraction of the channel, by increasing the "scour," tended to give a much greater depth of water on the bar.
The Life of Thomas Telford Smiles, Samuel, 1812-1904 1867
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