as in searching
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
the police scoured the city for the Typhoid Mary of this latest epidemic
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Recent Examples of scouring
Luckily for you, Vanity Fair was on the red carpet, at the show, and scouring the parties for all the best off-camera moments.
—
Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
They’ve been deeply engaged with facilitating multiple administration data-gathering efforts aimed at scouring voter rolls for noncitizens, the officials said.
—Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2026
By scouring the nation for its contestants and instituting a revolutionary audience-voting system, American Idol became a hot topic in its early seasons and continues to exert influence on music today.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
The better part of my day job includes scouring for new trends, cool companies, unique products, and major deals.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scouring
Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
They’ve been deeply engaged with facilitating multiple administration data-gathering efforts aimed at scouring voter rolls for noncitizens, the officials said.
—Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2026
By scouring the nation for its contestants and instituting a revolutionary audience-voting system, American Idol became a hot topic in its early seasons and continues to exert influence on music today.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
The better part of my day job includes scouring for new trends, cool companies, unique products, and major deals.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scouring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scouring
Verb
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Cops are searching for multiple suspects wearing ski masks last seen fleeing the scene on foot.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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With the Heat searching for answers amid its rough stretch, rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis was not part of the roation on Monday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile in Tehran, rescue workers were combing through rubble Friday morning trying to find survivors after overnight strikes there.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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And if the idea of combing through your spending history gives you the ick, plug your info into a financial app like Quicken Simplifi.—
Harlan Vaughn,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scouring. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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