Scour

/ˈskaʊə/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.
2. (transitive) To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
3. (transitive, veterinary medicine) To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.
4. (ambitransitive, veterinary medicine) To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.
5. (ambitransitive, obsolete) To cleanse (something) without rubbing.
6. The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.
7. A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
8. A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.

Example Sentences

He scoured the burnt food from the pan.

If tranſcribers and printers, or editors, will be perpetually varying from the ſpelling of their author, we ſhall neceſſarily have a conſtant ſource of corruption: for by this alteration, which inſenſibly goes on from ſmaller to greater things, that antique caſt is loſt, which of itſelf carries ſo venerable an aſpect; and our modern editors, in this reſpect, reſemble the officious ſervant of the late learned antiquary Dr. Woodward, who in ſcowering off the ruſt from an old ſhield, which his maſter had juſt purchaſed, made it more reſemble the new ſcowered cover of an old kettle, than the ſhield of an ancient heroe.

They all looked directly at the ſcullion,—the ſcullion had juſt been ſcouring a fiſh-kettle.

A light brown sand, of an exceeding fine grain, almost impalpable, from the river Sullane, near New-bridge, where it is found in plenty. It scours brass without scratching, cleans silver, and is excellent for casting the finer works, both of the brazier and silversmith.

There were the tawny rocks, like lions couchant, defying the ocean, whose waves incessantly dashed against and scoured them with vast quantities of gravel.

I will redeeme all this on Percies head, / And in the cloſing of ſome glorious day / Be bold to tell you that I am your ſonne, / When I will weare a garment all of bloud, / And ſtaine my fauors in a bloudy maske, / Which waſht away ſhall ſcoure my ſhame with it, […]

It has already been explained that the ebb tide in the Hooghly is a much more powerful scouring agent than the flood tide, that the tide therefore should be used for scouring a channel in preference to the flood whenever it is practicable to use it, hence it is to the body of ebbing water that scours out the fine channel from Akelmeg to Crossing Creek that attention will be principally directed, and not to the flood that scours the channel near the Roopnarain entrance.

to scour a horse

Synonyms for scour

Antonyms for scour

Related Words

Word Forms

• scours
• scouring
• scoured
• scower

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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