as in searches
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 combs
After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel combs the depths of the Vistula River day and night, caught in a grueling, endless routine and torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the fragile hope that his son may still be alive.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Zayas also combs through the dark web, a criminal haven on the internet where anonymous threat actors try to cause real-world harm.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
The panel combs through a variety of influences like film and TV production; art, fashion and design trends; new technologies, materials, textures; and even social media or upcoming sporting events.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
In the doc, Rawson combs through family photos of her, her brother, and her parents at various celebrations and vacations.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Zayas also combs through the dark web, a criminal haven on the internet where anonymous threat actors try to cause real-world harm.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
The panel combs through a variety of influences like film and TV production; art, fashion and design trends; new technologies, materials, textures; and even social media or upcoming sporting events.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
In the doc, Rawson combs through family photos of her, her brother, and her parents at various celebrations and vacations.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combs
Verb
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Hundreds of thousands took to the streets, including Ahangarani, who searches in vain for a friend in Tehran’s Revolution Square as police crack violently down on protestors.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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Now imagine that two years from now, your target customer never searches for your category at all.—
Zac Brandenberg,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Then, as the afternoon sunshine rakes across the river valley, the group will return to the Birdwing—where canvas and paints await, according to a news release.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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Participants are encouraged to bring their own shovel, gloves, and rakes as limited tools will be provided at the event.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combs. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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