combing out

Verb

comb out (third-person singular simple present combs out, present participle combing out, simple past and past participle combed out)

1. (transitive, literal) To remove (something) by combing; to thoroughly comb (something); to thoroughly comb (something) so as to remove something else from it (such as tangles, dirt, or nits).
   • I combed out the tangles in my hair. I combed them all out with that fancy comb that Ashley gave me.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To winnow; for example, to exempt (someone) from a military draft by filtering them out of the list.
   • The government combed out some people from the compulsory action.