as in to search
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
combed the library for the missing book
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of comb
Hundreds of rescue workers had spent two days combing through the remains of the nightclub after its roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on Tuesday during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said.
—
Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Rolling Stone spent the past several months conducting extensive interviews with members of the cast and crew and, with the help of her former assistant Blair Richwood, combing through the archives of Ziskin, who died from breast cancer in 2011.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Palmer’s hair was pre-washed using the Curl Stretch Shampoo and Conditioner, then Redway followed up by showing us different methods for applying the Curl Stretch Multi-Tasking Volume Cream to the hair—from finger combing to using a detangling brush—then allowed the hair to air dry.
—Kayla Greaves, Essence, 1 Apr. 2025
Nearly a week after the quake, searchers in neighbouring Thailand hunting for survivors combed a mountain of debris left after a skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok, collapsed while under construction.
—Reuters, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comb
Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Rolling Stone spent the past several months conducting extensive interviews with members of the cast and crew and, with the help of her former assistant Blair Richwood, combing through the archives of Ziskin, who died from breast cancer in 2011.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Palmer’s hair was pre-washed using the Curl Stretch Shampoo and Conditioner, then Redway followed up by showing us different methods for applying the Curl Stretch Multi-Tasking Volume Cream to the hair—from finger combing to using a detangling brush—then allowed the hair to air dry.
—Kayla Greaves, Essence, 1 Apr. 2025
Nearly a week after the quake, searchers in neighbouring Thailand hunting for survivors combed a mountain of debris left after a skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok, collapsed while under construction.
—Reuters, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comb
Verb
-
Elsewhere, investigators searched the house, the barn and even the pond.—
Susan Mallie,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Investigators are searching for the suspect, described as a man in his 20s or 30s wearing all black and black headphones.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Annie set has 12 chairs, each designed to look like something that could literally rake through a head of hair.—
Nora Taylor,
Curbed,
23 Apr. 2025
-
The cemetery was only sporadically maintained by its caretaker, and raking the long grass gave me the eerie feeling of running my fingers through a child’s hair.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Sporting found some moments of control in the second half and finally got a foothold in the game again.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Those few minutes sent students scrambling for cover and barricading themselves around campus until authorities found them.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Comb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comb. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share