Synonyms of scouring

scouring

verb

present participle of scour

as in searching

to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something

the police scoured the city for the Typhoid Mary of this latest epidemic

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hiding
• losing
• ignoring
• abandoning
• neglecting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scouring

In recent years, young people have been scouring vintage sites for some of Kanuk’s signature pieces. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026

Hughes and archaeologists subsequently spent more than 20 years scouring the area for the ship’s remains. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026

Police have been pulling out all the stops in their hunt for clues that could lead them to the attacker, scouring the entire area with K9 and aviation units, drones and scuba divers, officials said. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026

Investigators have been scouring the area for wreckage, collecting dashcam video and speaking to witnesses. — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Federal immigration agents have spent weeks scouring the Central Valley, immigrant rights organizers say, noting warrantless arrests and the targeting of farm laborers on their way to work. — Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2026

Kyiv’s European partners have been scouring the world for Patriot missiles but have so far been unable to meet Ukraine’s modest request of 300 interceptors to get through the winter. — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026

This marked the first time Sanders had been asked about the viral situation, which left college football fans scouring game footage in an attempt to determine whether the script was legitimate. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Well, the plan is to be aggressive in scouring free agency and the trade market. — Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026