scour

UK/ˈskaʊə//ˈskaʊɚ/

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

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Verb (1)

scour (third-person singular simple present scours, present participle scouring, simple past and past participle scoured)

(transitive) 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.
- If tranſcribers and printers, or editors, will be perpetually varying from the ſpelling of their author, we ſhall neceſſarily have a conſtant ſource of corruption: for by this alteration, which inſenſibly goes on from ſmaller to greater things, that antique caſt is loſt, which of itſelf carries ſo...1751, John Upton, A Letter Concerning a New Edition of Spenser’s Faerie Queene. To Gilbert West, Esq., London: […] G. Hawkins, […], →OCLC, section VI, page 36
(transitive) To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
- I will redeeme all this on Percies head, / And in the cloſing of ſome glorious day / Be bold to tell you that I am your ſonne, / When I will weare a garment all of bloud, / And ſtaine my fauors in a bloudy maske, / Which waſht away ſhall ſcoure my ſhame with it, […]c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]
- It has already been explained that the ebb tide in the Hooghly is a much more powerful scouring agent than the flood tide, that the tide therefore should be used for scouring a channel in preference to the flood whenever it is practicable to use it, hence it is to the body of ebbing water that...1865, Hugh Leonard, “Upper Section.—The James and Mary Shoals.”, in Report on the River Hooghly, … Bengal, 1865, London: […] George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode, printers to the Queen’s Most...
(transitive) To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.
- to scour a horse
(ambitransitive) To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.
- If a lamb is scouring, do not delay treatment.
- It has been stated by trustworthy authorities that certain waters in the lias-formation possess scouring properties. […] Mr. Clarke likewise mentions two cases. "In one instance," he says, "a large piece of pasture-land was found to scour the cows kept upon it, to the great loss of the occupier...1862, Augustus Voelcker, “X.—On the Scouring Lands of Central Somerset. … [Report of an Investigation Made at the Request of the Council of the Bath and West of England Society.]”, in Journal of the...
(ambitransitive, obsolete) To cleanse (something) without rubbing.
- It is reported, that in ſome Lakes, the Water is ſo Nitrous, as if Foule Cloathes be put into it, it ſcoureth them of it ſelfe: And if they ſtay any whit long, they moulder away. And the Scouring Vertue of Nitre is the more to be noted, becauſe it is a Body Cold; And wee ſee Warme Water ſcoureth...1631, Francis [Bacon], “IV. Century. [Experiment Solitary Touching Nitre [marginal note].]”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley...
- Flanders soap is the substance which appeared to act in the most advantageous manner; it scowers very speedily, and gives wool a degree of whiteness which it is extremely difficult to produce by any other means.1805 August, Bouillon Lagrange, “Extract from a Memoir on the Steeping of Wool, and the Influence of Its Different States on Dyeing. […]”, in The Repertory of Arts, Manufactures, and Agriculture...

Noun

scour (countable and uncountable, plural scours)

The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.
- Bridge scour may scoop out scour holes and compromise the integrity of the structure.
- The general manner of working this sluice is to take in every alternate tide during the high tides in dry weather, and to let them off for scours for the harbour. In wet weather, or during neap tides, no scours are kept back, nor is it of any consequence to the harbour if no tides are suffered to...1845, John Meryon, “An Account of the Origin and Formation of the Harbour of the Ancient Town of Rye; […]”, in John Weale, editor, Quarterly Papers on Engineering, volume IV, number VII, London: John...
A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
- Fish as near the middle of the stream as you can in the spring months, and also on the shallows and scowers; but in the winter, in deep holes; let the bait drag two or three inches on the ground.1825, Pierce Egan, “The Chub, or Chevin”, in Sporting Anecdotes, Original and Selected; […], new considerably enlarged and improved edition, London: […] Sherwood, Jones and Co. […], →OCLC, page 220
- Trout always have a recognised home of their own, inhabited by a pretty fixed number of individuals. If you catch the two sole denizens of a particular scour, you will find another pair installed in their place to-morrow.1881, Grant Allen, “Speckled Trout”, in The Evolutionist at Large, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, pages 115–116
A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.
- I am particularly interested in the wool processing indusries, which make a major contribution to the Hawke's Bay regional economy. There are five wool scours in the area, all of them located within the Hawke's Bay electorate. […] I am pleased to report that the prototype Drycom system was given...1984 September 19, Bill [William David] Sutton, “Address in Reply”, in Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): First Session, Forty-first Parliament, 1984: House of Representatives, volume 457, Wellington...
Diarrhoea, in livestock; scouring.
- The Cause and Nature of the Skit, or Scour, of Sheep and Lambs.1749, William Ellis, A Compleat System of Experienced Improvements, Made on Sheep, Grass-lambs, and House-lambs: Or, ... the Shepherd's Sure Guide: ... In Three Books. By William Ellis, ..., page 355
- […] lambs, and on the appearance of the skit or scour, the necessity for a change of food is indicated.1900, Thomas Hartwell Horne, The Complete Grazier and Farmers' and Cattle-breeders' Assistant: Forming a Compendium of Husbandry, page 1051

Verb (2)

scour (third-person singular simple present scours, present participle scouring, simple past and past participle scoured)

(transitive) To search an area thoroughly.
- They scoured the scene of the crime for clues.
- A search engine will scour the web for you.
(intransitive) To run with speed; to scurry.
- Lord. Behind the tuft of Pines I met them, neuer
  Saw I men scowre so on their way: I eyed them
  Euen to their Ships.c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- So four fierce Courſers ſtarting to the Race, / Scow'r thro' the Plain, and lengthen ev'ry Pace: / Nor Reigns, nor Curbs, nor threat'ning Cries they fear, / But force along the trembling Charioteer.1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 70, lines...
(transitive) To move swiftly over; to brush along.
- When Ajax ſtrives, ſome Rock's vaſt Weight to throw, / The Line too labours, and the Words move ſlow; / Not ſo, when ſwift Camilla ſcours the plain, / Flies o'er th'unbending Corn, and skims along the Main.1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC, pages 22–23
- We near him! We near him [an ostrich]! Ah, laggard, 'tis vain / That with rapid feet casting the dusty clouds back, / In circles wide wheeling, thou scourest the plain, / For Ayoud, untiring, is close on thy track.1844 March, W[illiam] S[tarbuck] Mayo, “The Bedouin”, in The United States Magazine and Democratic Review, volume XIV, number LXIX, Washington, D.C.: Langtree & [John Louis] O'Sullivan, →OCLC, page...

scour meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Kannada

scour in Hindi

to clean, polish, or wash something by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously: मांजना māñjnā

scour in Tamil

எழிச்சல், வயிற்றுப்போக்கு, கால்வாய்த் துப்புரவு, நீர்க்குடைவு, அரிப்பு, நரிப்பள்ளம்

scour in Kannada

to scour: ಬೆಳಗು beḷagu

More languagesFewer languages

scour in Odia: ଘଷିବା ghaṣibā
scour in Tagalog: gumalugad, galugarin

Examples of scour in a sentence

They all looked directly at the ſcullion,—the ſcullion had juſt been ſcouring a fiſh-kettle.1762, [Laurence Sterne], chapter IX, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume V, London: […] T. Becket and P. A....
It scours brass without scratching, cleans silver, and is excellent for casting the finer works, both of the brazier and silversmith.1815, Charles Smith, “Of the Most Remarkable Fossils Discovered in this County”, in The Ancient and Present State of the County and City of...
There were the tawny rocks, like lions couchant, defying the ocean, whose waves incessantly dashed against and scoured them with vast quantities of gravel.1865, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “The Shipwreck”, in [Sophia Thoreau; William Ellery Channing], editors, Cape Cod, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and...
It has been stated by trustworthy authorities that certain waters in the lias-formation possess scouring properties. […] Mr.1862, Augustus Voelcker, “X.—On the Scouring Lands of Central Somerset. … [Report of an Investigation Made at the Request of the Council of...

All 29 example sentences with scour

Forms of scour

Verb
third-person singular present	scours
present participle	scouring
past participle	scoured
past	scoured
alternative form	scower
Noun
plural	scours

Past tense of scour: scoured

Origin of scour

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.

Words formed from scour

Words that rhyme with scour

4 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about scour

What does scour mean?: Scour means to clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.
What is scour in Hindi?: Scour in Hindi is मांजना (māñjnā). See Scour meaning in Hindi.
How do you use scour in a sentence?: They all looked directly at the ſcullion,—the ſcullion had juſt been ſcouring a fiſh-kettle.
What part of speech is scour?: Scour can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce scour?: Scour is pronounced /ˈskaʊə/ (UK).
What is the past tense of scour?: The past tense of scour is scoured.

Words near scour in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: scour (page history and authors); scour (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); scour (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ಬೆಳಗು (Kannada) (page history and authors); ଘଷିବା (Odia) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-scour.ogg, en-au-scour.ogg.

Cite this entry: “scour.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/scour. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.