scrubbing
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the act of cleaning something by rubbing it very hard with a brush or cloth.
the action of cleaning a surface through vigorous rubbing or abrasion, typically using a stiff brush and water.
Simple“The old floor needed a good scrubbing to get rid of the deep stains.”
In context“After years of neglect, the stone steps required intensive scrubbing with a wire brush to reveal their original colour.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
a process used in factories to clean smoke or gas before it goes into the air.
the technical process of removing impurities or pollutants from a gas stream, often using a chemical solvent or water spray.
Simple“The factory installed a new system for gas scrubbing to reduce pollution.”
In context“The environmental agency mandated the installation of wet scrubbing technology to neutralise acidic emissions from the coal-fired power plant.”
Synonyms
From scrub + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.