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

Authorities are using divers, dogs, sonar and other types of technologies to scour the area for Karen Solomon, Saucier said. — Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Parents increasingly scour the EWG database for ingredients to avoid. — Faye Brookman, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

And some local activists and internet sleuths are scouring the hillsides and topo maps trying to determine which properties would benefit most from the recent tree poisonings. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

So the designers essentially winged it, scouring old film books and blogs for any kind of direction. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

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