as in searching
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
combed the library for the missing book
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Recent Examples of combing
Rescuers have been combing through the rubble of the hotel in a desperate attempt to save any survivors.
—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
Watchers of the original have been combing through the unrated version, which lists the same runtime as the original, looking for differences.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
The main reason for the current CPU renaissance is that agentic AI systems perform many of those general-purpose tasks, such as browsing the web, managing files, and combing through databases.
—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
27 June 2026
The number is expected to rise as rescuers continue combing through the rubble.
—
Will Clark,
NBC news,
26 June 2026
Many Venezuelans were combing through wreckage in search of loved ones, while others turned to social media in an effort to find relatives and friends who had vanished in the disaster.
—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
Early on, Jadallah made the decision to take family members to the site where emergency crews were combing through the rubble.
—
Marisa Peñaloza,
NPR,
24 June 2026
Then a casual dig through an estate sale bin morphs into obsession, resulting in making bids at auctions, combing through the recesses of eBay or imploring friends in politics to snag you a piece.
—
A.d. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
Chenoweth dug deep for clues, combing through film from Walker’s younger days.
—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
Watchers of the original have been combing through the unrated version, which lists the same runtime as the original, looking for differences.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
The main reason for the current CPU renaissance is that agentic AI systems perform many of those general-purpose tasks, such as browsing the web, managing files, and combing through databases.
—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
27 June 2026
The number is expected to rise as rescuers continue combing through the rubble.
—
Will Clark,
NBC news,
26 June 2026
Many Venezuelans were combing through wreckage in search of loved ones, while others turned to social media in an effort to find relatives and friends who had vanished in the disaster.
—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
Early on, Jadallah made the decision to take family members to the site where emergency crews were combing through the rubble.
—
Marisa Peñaloza,
NPR,
24 June 2026
Then a casual dig through an estate sale bin morphs into obsession, resulting in making bids at auctions, combing through the recesses of eBay or imploring friends in politics to snag you a piece.
—
A.d. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
Chenoweth dug deep for clues, combing through film from Walker’s younger days.
—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combing
searching
Verb
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French and Monaco authorities are searching for the attacker, whose motive is under investigation, Monaco's most senior government official, Minister of State Christophe Mirmand, told reporters.
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For five days Oswadeliz Núñez Ramírez has been frantically searching for her son across hospitals in La Guaira and Caracas.
Cite this Entry
“Combing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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