COMBING Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

combing

verb

Definition of combing

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of combing Police arrested him again in April 2023 and started combing through the forest more systematically and exhuming mass graves. — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 Stocks, the OneLegacy nurse, realized OPOs have data that could help patients advocate for themselves, and started combing records. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Law enforcement sources previously told CBS News that investigators are combing through the computer, phone, social media, search history and other online activity of the attacker. — Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026 Lawyers have spent years chasing down missing witnesses, litigating requests for DNA testing or combing through police files. — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for combing

searching

Verb

Smith, who spends hours signing and searching for professional basketball and hockey players, has noticed a slight shift in their mindsets.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
The then-53-year-old Highsmith had no idea she’d been kidnapped or that her family had spent decades searching for her.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of searching

Browse Nearby Words

combines

combing

combing (out)

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Style

“Combing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of combing

verb

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