scour

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈskau̇(-ə)r 

scoured; scouring; scours

transitive verb

1

a

: to rub hard especially with a rough material for cleansing

b

: to remove by rubbing hard and washing

2

archaic : to clear (a region) of enemies or outlaws

3

: to clean by purging : purge

4

: to remove dirt and debris from (something, such as a pipe or ditch)

5

: to free from foreign matter or impurities by or as if by washing

scour wool

6

: to clear, dig, or remove by or as if by a powerful current of water

intransitive verb

1

: to perform a process of scouring

2

: to suffer from diarrhea or dysentery

3

: to become clean and bright by rubbing

scourer noun

scour

2 of 3

noun

1

: a place scoured by running water

2

: scouring action (as of a glacier)

3

: diarrhea, dysentery

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

4

: scouring sense 1

also : damage done by scouring action

scour

3 of 3

verb (2)

scoured; scouring; scours

intransitive verb

: to move about quickly especially in search

transitive verb

: to go through or range over in or as if in a search

Did you know?

It doesn’t require much scouring of our website to see that there are two distinct scour verbs in English. One has meanings relating to cleaning and washing away; that scour, which dates back to at least the early 14th century, probably comes from the Late Latin excurare, meaning “to clean off.” (A related noun scour refers to the action of this type of scouring, or to places that have been scoured, as by running water.) The other verb scour appeared a century earlier, and may come from the Old Norse skūr, meaning “shower.” (Skūr is also distantly related to the Old English scūr, the ancestor of our English word shower.) Many different things can be scoured, such as an area (as in “scoured the woods in search of the lost dog”) or publications (as in “scouring magazine and newspaper articles”).

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• comb
• dig (through)
• dredge
• hunt (through)
• rake
• ransack
• rifle
• rummage
• search
• sort (through)
• troll

Examples of scour in a Sentence

Verb (2)

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Natural meets human history Free of scouring ice and glacial deposits, Driftless rivers carved the landscape through soft bedrock, creating steep banks with limestone and sandstone cliffs and caves. —Elaine Glusac, AFAR Media, 26 June 2025

On a small volcanic island off the northwest coast of Equatorial Guinea, researchers scoured the landscape for days in search of a brightly colored creature found nowhere else in the world. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 25 June 2025

Noun

Speedy Scans Clicking Scan Now from the main window launches what the antivirus calls a Smart Scan, which checks for active malware in memory and scours system areas often affected by malware. —PCMAG, 24 Jan. 2025

At the front, a young woman with a high bun scours every feature on every image. —Claire Harbage, NPR, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch schuren, from Old French escurer, from Late Latin excurare to clean off, from Latin, to take good care of, from ex- + curare to care for, from cura care

Verb (2)

Middle English scuren, skouren, probably from scour, noun, (in phrase god scour quickly), perhaps from Old Norse skūr shower; akin to Old English scūr shower — more at shower

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for scour

• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• horsepower
• manpower
• mayflower
• safflower
• sunflower
• wallflower
• watchtower

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Kids Definition

scour

1 of 3 verb

ˈskau̇(ə)r 

1

: to move about or through quickly especially in search

scoured the woods for the missing child

2

: to examine thoroughly and rapidly

scoured the legal documents

scour

2 of 3 verb

1

a

: to rub hard with something rough in order to clean

b

: to remove by rubbing hard and washing

scour spots from the stove

2

: to free from foreign substances or impurities by or as if by washing

3

: to wear away (as by water) : erode

a stream scouring its banks

scourer noun

scour

3 of 3 noun

: an action or result of scouring

Medical Definition

scour

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈskau̇(ə)r 

of a domestic animal

: to suffer from diarrhea or dysentery

a diet causing cattle to scour

scour

2 of 2 noun

: diarrhea or dysentery occurring especially in young domestic animals

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction