Word
scour
US/ˈskaʊɝ/
UK/skˈaʊə/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a very thorough search for something. You use this when you are looking for a specific person or thing with great effort.
n. 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.”
Examples
simple
“The police conducted a thorough scour of the neighborhood.”
contextual
“After the storm, the coast guard launched a massive scour of the shoreline to find any missing equipment.”
complex
“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.”
Real-World Examples
“His team scoured the South for suitable candidates who could apply to professional schools—and who, if they became plaintiffs, wouldn’t disappear.” “Photograph: Social Media/Reuters Private recruiters and public-sector employees scour social media for candidates, while advertisements for military contracts have become ubiquitous online.” Etymology
From Middle English scǒuren (“to polish, scour; to clean; to beat, whip”), from Middle Dutch scuren, schuren (“to clean; to polish”) or Middle Low German schǖren, of uncertain origin but probably from Old French escurer, from Medieval Latin scūrō, escūrō, excūrō (“to clean off”), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + cūrō (“to arrange, see to, take care of”), from cūra (“care, concern”) (from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeys- (“to heed”)) + -ō. The word is cognate with Danish skure, Middle High German schüren, schiuren (modern German scheuern (“to scour, scrub; to chafe”)), Norwegian skura (“to scrub”), Swedish skura, Catalan escurar.
From Middle English scǒuren, scure, skoure (“to move quickly; to travel around in search of enemies”), from scǒur (“attack, conflict; pang of emotional suffering”), from Old Norse skýra (“to rush in”) and skúr (“a shower; a shower of missiles”), perhaps influenced by the verb scǒuren: see etymology 1.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/scour