as in to search
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
combed the library for the missing book
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Recent Examples of comb
Looking for a heritage bolt of fabric without having to comb through the dusty shelves of an antiques store?
—
Alyssa Longobucco, Architectural Digest, 19 June 2026
Investigators combed through wreckage Wednesday for clues to the cause.
—ABC News, 18 June 2026
Then a casual dig through an estate sale bin morphs into obsession, resulting in making bids at auctions, combing through the recesses of eBay or imploring friends in politics to snag you a piece.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026
Activists and political figures now often comb through the biographies of journalists at major institutions looking for instances of past behavior that could signal political bias.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for comb
Alyssa Longobucco, Architectural Digest, 19 June 2026
Investigators combed through wreckage Wednesday for clues to the cause.
—ABC News, 18 June 2026
Then a casual dig through an estate sale bin morphs into obsession, resulting in making bids at auctions, combing through the recesses of eBay or imploring friends in politics to snag you a piece.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026
Activists and political figures now often comb through the biographies of journalists at major institutions looking for instances of past behavior that could signal political bias.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for comb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comb
Verb
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Investigators are searching for 22-year-old Oscar Sanchez-Munoz after a standoff at a home in the 700 block of Brookside Avenue.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
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At a certain point, letting those structures come apart a little brings you back to spontaneity, to searching, to surprise, and above all, to simplicity.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Destructive winds in Oklahoma Farther west, a nasty line of thunderstorms from the same system raked through western and central Oklahoma after midnight CT Monday morning.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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They might well also be frustrated that Messi stayed on the pitch after his left boot raked the back of Aissa Mandi’s right leg at 1-0.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Ease off the accelerator - Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 June 2026
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His attorneys contend the containers found on Pino’s boat were collected from other friends’ vessels partying with them on the sandbar that day.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Comb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comb. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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