Synonyms of scour

scour

verb

as in to search

to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something

the police scoured the city for the Typhoid Mary of this latest epidemic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• search
• find
• scan
• locate
• comb
• explore
• examine
• investigate
• rake
• dredge
• survey
• rummage
• ransack
• inspect
• discover
• rifle
• hunt (through)
• dig (through)
• sort (through)
• troll
• scrutinize
• ascertain
• determine
• detect
• review
• learn
• check (out)
• peruse
• find out
• browse
• audit
• track (down)
• run down
• probe
• get
• prospect
• study
• hit (on or upon)
• descry
• poke (around)
• pat down
• shake down
• glance (over)
• frisk
• ferret (out)
• snoop
• look over
• scare up
• grub (about)
• skirmish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hide
• lose
• abandon
• ignore
• neglect

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scour

Hughes and archaeologists subsequently spent more than 20 years scouring the area for the ship’s remains. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026

Police have been pulling out all the stops in their hunt for clues that could lead them to the attacker, scouring the entire area with K9 and aviation units, drones and scuba divers, officials said. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026

Investigators have been scouring the area for wreckage, collecting dashcam video and speaking to witnesses. — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Bailey, who recently retired from Rhode Island’s corrections department, posits that allowed Jones a fresh start, as authorities continued to scour pirate-friendly New England for Every and his accomplices. — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

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