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
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
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
The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.
—Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Already combing through cherry pie recipes?
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
On BookTok, Hoover was so heavily recommended from 2020 to 2024 that combing her books for the most unrealistic dialogue and character decisions became a minor trend.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
Those timestamps allow employees to retrieve video quickly without combing through hours of footage.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
After years of combing through it, Ferris discovered a pristine Digital Audio Tape (DAT) copy of the ’89 recording sessions.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
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
The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.
—Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Already combing through cherry pie recipes?
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
On BookTok, Hoover was so heavily recommended from 2020 to 2024 that combing her books for the most unrealistic dialogue and character decisions became a minor trend.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
Those timestamps allow employees to retrieve video quickly without combing through hours of footage.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
After years of combing through it, Ferris discovered a pristine Digital Audio Tape (DAT) copy of the ’89 recording sessions.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combing
searching
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
Cite this Entry
“Combing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combing. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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