Synonyms of combing

combing

verb

present participle of comb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• searching
• scanning
• finding
• scouring
• surveying
• raking
• exploring
• examining
• investigating
• locating
• rummaging
• dredging
• trolling
• inspecting
• digging (through)
• ransacking
• hunting (through)
• sorting (through)
• discovering
• reviewing
• rifling
• scrutinizing
• detecting
• learning
• determining
• ascertaining
• auditing
• studying
• checking (out)
• probing
• frisking
• tracking (down)
• perusing
• hitting (on or upon)
• browsing
• getting
• snooping
• finding out
• running down
• prospecting
• poking (around)
• shaking down
• ferreting (out)
• patting down
• looking over
• glancing (over)
• descrying
• skirmishing
• grubbing (about)
• scaring up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hiding
• losing
• ignoring
• abandoning
• neglecting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of combing

Given the prime location, everything is at your disposal from combing history tomes at Yountville Library to ticking off as many wine tastings as possible in one day. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

Investigators have been combing through surveillance video that captured part of the shooting, according to the court records. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Investigators are still combing through the suspects' cellphones, dashboard cameras and other devices for clues about potential links to Iran. — Steve Hendrix, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Instead of combing through aging reports, collectors can focus their time on high-risk accounts and customers where escalation or direct engagement is required. — Ari Widlansky, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Hu’s team set out to answer those questions by combing through previous research on exercise and blood pressure. — Currie Engel, HEALTH, 27 Sep. 2026

Imagine sneaking into a math library and combing through every mathematical text ever written. — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

Officials are searching the wreckage and combing through maintenance logbooks and security footage. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

In time, national security institutions were routinely vacuuming up ordinary police information, and local law enforcement officers were combing through federal intelligence. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026