# scour

/ˈskaʊɝ/ (US) · /skˈaʊə/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/scour
Updated: 2026-05-18

## Definition

a very thorough search for something. You use this when you are looking for a specific person or thing with great effort.

For teachers: a thorough search or investigation, often implying a systematic or exhaustive effort to find something.

## Examples

- The police conducted a thorough scour of the neighborhood.
- After the storm, the coast guard launched a massive scour of the shoreline to find any missing equipment.
- The historian's life's work was a meticulous scour of the archives, uncovering documents that had been hidden for centuries and rewriting the narrative of the era.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.