Synonyms for scour

Most common

purge · scrub · abrade · furbish

All synonyms

Verb

Noun

Definitions

1. v. 1

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

   He scoured the burnt food from the pan.

2. n. 1

   The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.

   Bridge scour may scoop out scour holes and compromise the integrity of the structure.

Related words

Phrases

scour down scour up

Forms

Plural

scours → searches, rakes, scampers, ranges…

Past participle

scoured
e.g. scoured → purged, cleansed, flushed, scrubbed…

Example sentences

• purge What's the first thing you'd do if The Purge was real?
• scrub Scrub the sink and try to get rid of those spots.
• abrade The rough pumice can abrade the skin.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters

rub¹

4 letters

rake¹

5 letters

range¹, clean¹, flush¹, scrub¹, purge¹, rinse¹

6 letters

course¹, career², search¹, abrade²

7 letters

cleanse¹, scamper², furbish²

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (career² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

récurer