as in searching
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 combing
The hundreds of ground squirrels, which typically spend their time combing the grass for crumbs and approaching visitors in search of a treat, are native to the area.
—
Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Instead of combing through dozens of forecasts, users see clear guidance that matches the dates, cities, and timing of their own trip.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
First class Etihad Apartments; Singapore Suites; combing first class on Airbus A380s on all the major Gulf airlines in a single trip; combining six different airline first class products in a single round trip.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
No one, perhaps, relishes the thought of combing through a credit report, shopping around for car insurance or parsing a bank statement.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 29 May 2026
About 700 rescuers and nearly 200 police officers are combing the rubble, racing to reach survivors pinned beneath concrete and twisted steel.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
When her mother died in 2012, Hasbun inherited the gallery’s archives and began combing through them.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Investigators spent years combing through thousands of hours of surveillance footage and digital evidence to identify participants in the attack.
—Nik Popli, Time, 19 May 2026
Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Instead of combing through dozens of forecasts, users see clear guidance that matches the dates, cities, and timing of their own trip.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
First class Etihad Apartments; Singapore Suites; combing first class on Airbus A380s on all the major Gulf airlines in a single trip; combining six different airline first class products in a single round trip.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
No one, perhaps, relishes the thought of combing through a credit report, shopping around for car insurance or parsing a bank statement.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 29 May 2026
About 700 rescuers and nearly 200 police officers are combing the rubble, racing to reach survivors pinned beneath concrete and twisted steel.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
When her mother died in 2012, Hasbun inherited the gallery’s archives and began combing through them.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Investigators spent years combing through thousands of hours of surveillance footage and digital evidence to identify participants in the attack.
—Nik Popli, Time, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combing
searching
Verb
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Rescue teams began searching for the daredevil and found his body about three feet below the crater's water surface after rescue efforts that lasted about four and a half hours.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
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Across the country, workers who once expected to rely entirely on traditional employment are now searching for something more stable, flexible, and lasting.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combing. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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