as in searched
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
as in groomed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 combed
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The explosion of attention was traumatizing — death threats slipped under her dorm room door, paparazzi combed through her trash, and she was forced off campus with round-the-clock security.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Authorities have combed through a trove of evidence to uncover a potential motive for the tragedy.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
Gilkey-Meisegeier was fired from his position at the school in early June and wasn’t arrested until more than a month later as investigators combed through evidence and built charges against him, according to WMTV.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Before school, her mom combed her hair and set it into pony tails.
—Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Inspired by these adhesive abilities, researchers combed through catalogs of these animals’ protein structures to mimic their stickiest features.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2025
One hand is on the man’s waist, his dark hair is combed back and his gaze is fixed to the side, a smile on his face.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 4 Aug. 2025
Diamant and Kafka combed the park for it to no avail.
—Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Victor Campos gently combed away sawdust clinging to Oden’s hide as an auctioneer’s voice echoed Saturday through the Gold Country Fair.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The explosion of attention was traumatizing — death threats slipped under her dorm room door, paparazzi combed through her trash, and she was forced off campus with round-the-clock security.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Authorities have combed through a trove of evidence to uncover a potential motive for the tragedy.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
Gilkey-Meisegeier was fired from his position at the school in early June and wasn’t arrested until more than a month later as investigators combed through evidence and built charges against him, according to WMTV.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Before school, her mom combed her hair and set it into pony tails.
—Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Inspired by these adhesive abilities, researchers combed through catalogs of these animals’ protein structures to mimic their stickiest features.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2025
One hand is on the man’s waist, his dark hair is combed back and his gaze is fixed to the side, a smile on his face.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 4 Aug. 2025
Diamant and Kafka combed the park for it to no avail.
—Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combed
Verb
-
Every bag and piece of equipment that comes through security on Sunday will be scanned and thoroughly searched.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Six officers searched their residence, and the couple were detained for eight hours over a spat with Cowley Hill Primary School.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And that begins with changes in the way mindsets are groomed.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Coming to their apparent rescue are groomed, muscular men in polished videos, smoking cigars, sitting in private jets, doing push ups and whispering that men’s pain is because of women.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement In some respects, Patagonia has hardly changed since Chouinard founded the company.—
David Gelles,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
-
With no clear winner yet, the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors, a public-private platform founded by the European Commission in 2024, has been edging its bets.—
Anna Heim,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Reid is also meticulous with focusing on details, and Kansas City is usually better in this area than its opponents.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Paul Greengrass and Blumhouse might seem like an odd mix, the former perhaps best known for his meticulous, sensitive docudramas, the latter most famous for low-budget, high-yield genre movies.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Paper tickets have become rarer, as digital tickets are scanned in at venues everywhere.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Every bag and piece of equipment that comes through security on Sunday will be scanned and thoroughly searched.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But Eliasen is careful not to let scope creep derail initial implementations.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combed. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share