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
The mysterious arrival is documented like gossip somewhere among the 275,000 pages of local newspapers the New Bern native keeps combing for any mention of Pepsi and its founder.
—
Ryan Wilusz, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Workers are now combing through the remaining salt pile for other human remains, and a homicide investigation is underway.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
To find out, ProPublica and FRONTLINE combed through social media, court records and news stories.
—A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2026
Debbie Marland, Chesney’s keeper at Sunshine Farm, immediately assembled a group of friends and began combing the area for her missing marsupial.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for comb
Ryan Wilusz, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Workers are now combing through the remaining salt pile for other human remains, and a homicide investigation is underway.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
To find out, ProPublica and FRONTLINE combed through social media, court records and news stories.
—A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2026
Debbie Marland, Chesney’s keeper at Sunshine Farm, immediately assembled a group of friends and began combing the area for her missing marsupial.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for comb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comb
Verb
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Together, these two superb artists make much of Yarris constantly seeking the light, as Yarris searches for a way forward from the blackness of death row.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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At a time when many are searching for hope, the mission behind the race feels especially timely.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Folsom crews worked Monday to repair a large sinkhole that opened in the city’s Lexington Hills neighborhood during weekend storm that raked across the capital region.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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Simply scatter the tiny seeds on the soil surface and gently rake them around.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His understanding of where to be, when to slow the game down and when to speed it up, his ability to show for the ball under pressure and find a team-mate in more space; these are the things that Tottenham have desperately lacked.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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Game 2 started echoing Game 1 after halftime, when Towns finally found rhythm and the Knicks looked like the more gifted team all over again.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Comb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comb. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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