as in scrapping
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)
the outdoor art project was scrubbed when the organizers found out they needed permission from city hall
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Recent Examples of scrubbing
Use mild soap and a soft brush, scrubbing in the direction of the grain.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Rinsing first also prevents you from scrubbing surface grime deeper into the material during the cleaning process.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2026
Sara Aparacio, a resident cleaning expert at Homeaglow, equates scrubbing an appliance with an abrasive sponge to rubbing it with very fine sandpaper.
—Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 11 Apr. 2026
The main idea is to clean well without scrubbing too hard or using too much elbow grease.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
Abadi says scrubbing too aggressively is another common mistake.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 10 Apr. 2026
The SwitchBot Air Purifier Table did a good job of scrubbing the air in my tests.
—John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Soapy water is her go-to for scrubbing away greasy gunk.
—Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 2 Apr. 2026
Our editors have been sharing cleaning advice for more than a century, but not all of the scrubbing methods have stood the test of time.
—Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Rinsing first also prevents you from scrubbing surface grime deeper into the material during the cleaning process.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2026
Sara Aparacio, a resident cleaning expert at Homeaglow, equates scrubbing an appliance with an abrasive sponge to rubbing it with very fine sandpaper.
—Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 11 Apr. 2026
The main idea is to clean well without scrubbing too hard or using too much elbow grease.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
Abadi says scrubbing too aggressively is another common mistake.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 10 Apr. 2026
The SwitchBot Air Purifier Table did a good job of scrubbing the air in my tests.
—John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Soapy water is her go-to for scrubbing away greasy gunk.
—Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 2 Apr. 2026
Our editors have been sharing cleaning advice for more than a century, but not all of the scrubbing methods have stood the test of time.
—Emily Williams, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrubbing
Verb
-
According to the @ChicagoPiping social media account, which chronicles the latest in all things Chicago piping plovers, the birds were already back scrapping with each other to establish their territory on Montrose.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Irresponsible fiscal management of the city’s finances is no excuse for scrapping a reserve that is meant to protect the residents during difficult times.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The same day, a judge sentenced her to serve three years of probation for abandoning Kha’liya’s body.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Fuqua thought about abandoning the project, but ultimately agreed to reconceive it instead.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The selection of Morrissey as a headliner is bound to raise eyebrows following a spotty track record of canceling or postponing some 200 headlining appearances in the past decade-plus.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Airlines are cancelling flights due to the soaring cost of jet fuel.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to revoking the facility’s main operating license, the state also revoked the professional certification of the facility’s administrator Elena Cuevas and the home health aide registration of an employee, Takesha Jackson.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The United Arab Emirates, which long had deep commercial ties with Iran, is revoking visas of Iranians in the UAE and may freeze Iran’s assets in country.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Apollo 13 zoomed around the Moon after famously aborting its lunar landing mission.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Just before Sunday’s collision, controllers were dealing with another plane that had declared an emergency after aborting a takeoff and smelling an odor on the plane.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While Washington’s policies drive prices up, our state has lowered costs where the state has jurisdiction — by repealing the grocery tax and capping child care expenses.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The four measures passed by nearly 2-to-1 ratios, with nearly 14,000 votes in favor of repealing each ordinance and approximately 7,500 votes to keep them.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrubbing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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