scour

About 0.62 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.

   He scoured the burnt food from the pan.

2. verb To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
3. verb To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.

   to scour a horse

4. verb To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.

   If a lamb is scouring, do not delay treatment.

5. verb To cleanse (something) without rubbing.
6. noun The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.

   Bridge scour may scoop out scour holes and compromise the integrity of the structure.

7. noun A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
8. noun A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.

Similar words

abrade scrub flush burnish rake erosional weathering erosion washouts scrub up

Often followed by

the and of depth out hole in at is

Word family

scoured scourer scourers scouring scours