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
Long summer nights were spent combing through footage of corners and free kicks to bring himself up to speed.
—
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Officers were seen combing through the Spanish-style house and the surrounding neighborhood for evidence on Wednesday.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025
The unusual directive, marked as a top priority by the White House, has agents combing through decades-old files tied to the famed aviator.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Detectives, according to police officials, are interviewing witnesses and combing through surveillance video in an effort to identify suspects.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
In true Swiftie fashion, social media has fast become inundated with fans combing through each lyric of the 12-track record for Easter eggs about Swift's life, double entendres, and hints at who certain tracks might be about.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Will is basically subbing Katie in for Sylvia, consulting her for help in combing through Terry’s Instagram to look for clues that something is going on with Jenna.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
The next morning, Day 5, the skies cleared and the 112 searchers combing the mountain that day postholed through as much as 18 inches of fresh powder.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Without federal and local standards on how to deal with contaminants like arsenic and the carcinogen benzene, dozens of researchers and private specialists are combing through yards and homes, work that goes beyond authorities’ post-fire testing.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Officers were seen combing through the Spanish-style house and the surrounding neighborhood for evidence on Wednesday.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025
The unusual directive, marked as a top priority by the White House, has agents combing through decades-old files tied to the famed aviator.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Detectives, according to police officials, are interviewing witnesses and combing through surveillance video in an effort to identify suspects.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
In true Swiftie fashion, social media has fast become inundated with fans combing through each lyric of the 12-track record for Easter eggs about Swift's life, double entendres, and hints at who certain tracks might be about.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Will is basically subbing Katie in for Sylvia, consulting her for help in combing through Terry’s Instagram to look for clues that something is going on with Jenna.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
The next morning, Day 5, the skies cleared and the 112 searchers combing the mountain that day postholed through as much as 18 inches of fresh powder.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Without federal and local standards on how to deal with contaminants like arsenic and the carcinogen benzene, dozens of researchers and private specialists are combing through yards and homes, work that goes beyond authorities’ post-fire testing.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combing
searching
Verb
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Many common airfare booking hacks, like searching on a Tuesday or using incognito mode, are myths according to travel experts.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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Police are searching for a 24-year-old man who allegedly fired into a restaurant, injuring two teenagers.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combing. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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