SCOURING Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

scouring

verb

Definition of scouring

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

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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 scouring Their expert rescuers and dogs are scouring through the rubble. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 Cops were scouring the area looking for surveillance footage that can help track down the suspects. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026 And to be sure, the fun of scouring this trove comes from revisiting those book/celeb pairings. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Facebook Marketplace, Healy felt, would be where Angela would spend her time scouring for the right lamp or the perfect couch cushion. — Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 26 June 2026 Instead of scouring for seashells like you might in Florida, hunt for the famous Petoskey stones—they're pieces of prehistoric coral reef and also Michigan's state stone. — Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2026 Shopping for cheap designer clothing typically means hoping to get lucky at your local Goodwill or scouring resale racks at Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange. — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 30 June 2026 This set the astronomical community scouring space in the direction of the constellation Eridanus for potential sources for an electromagnetic counterpart to this event with a range of telescopes. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 June 2026 However, the announcement on Tuesday underscores that Isaacman and his team are scouring NASA for hardware and other tools to advance the agency’s mandate to return to the Moon and to build a surface base. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scouring

Verb

People have been searching the barrier island on foot, as well as using planes and boats.

— Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 6 July 2026
The announcement comes as technology companies continue searching for reliable, around-the-clock electricity to support rapidly expanding computing infrastructure.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026

Definition of searching

Verb

Rescuers have been combing through the rubble of the hotel in a desperate attempt to save any survivors.

— Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Watchers of the original have been combing through the unrated version, which lists the same runtime as the original, looking for differences.

— Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of combing

Browse Nearby Words

scourging

scouring

scour(s)

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“Scouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scouring. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of scouring

verb

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