scour

9 definitions • 13 examples

to remove dirt from something by rubbing it hard with something rough:

You'll have to scour out those old cooking pots before you use them.

to search a place or thing very carefully in order to try to find something:

The police are scouring the area for the missing child.

I scoured the shops for a blue and white shirt, but I couldn't find one anywhere.

(of farm animals, especially cows and pigs) to have diarrhoea:

Several calves were scouring and one died within days.

an act of removing dirt from something by rubbing it hard with something rough:

A quick scour with salt and an old toothbrush is a simple way to freshen up stained cups.

a search:

We need as many volunteers as possible for a scour of the beach to pick up everything that shouldn't be there.

A scour of the recent headlines could be a little concerning for shareholders.

a process in which the continuous movement of water gradually forms a hole in the sediments (= sand, stones, etc.) in a river, etc., or the sediments themselves:

Huge scour marks in the bed of the Channel could have been created only by a giant torrent of water.

Another $20 million will be spent to replace the scour, or riverbed material, just downriver from the dam.

diarrhoea in farm animals, especially cows and pigs:

Scour in young calves is caused mainly by parasites and viruses.

Of the three animals, one had died of scours and several others appeared ill.

to clean something by rubbing it hard with rough cleaning material:

We scoured the pots and pans with pads of steel wool.

to search a place or thing very carefully:

Police are scouring the countryside for the missing child.