What does scour mean?
Scour is a versatile verb with three principal meanings: to clean something by vigorous rubbing, to search thoroughly for something, and, in a more literary or archaic usage, to move rapidly. Its best-known sense is cleaning: scouring a pan, pot, floor, or other surface usually implies persistent rubbing that removes stubborn dirt, grease, or residue. This usage can sometimes suggest harshness or abrasiveness. The searching sense is especially common in journalism and investigative contexts, where people scour records, files, websites, or an area for evidence or information. Scour can also mean to rush or scurry, although this sense now sounds formal or dated. As a noun, a scour denotes an act of cleansing or, less commonly, a sudden rapid movement. The word is familiar in both British and American English, with non-rhotic British pronunciation commonly represented as /skaʊə/ and rhotic American pronunciation as /skaʊr/. Scour is worth knowing because a single word can cover both a physical process and a figurative intellectual hunt.
To clean something by vigorous rubbing; to search thoroughly for something; or, more rarely, to move rapidly.
"Divers scoured the seabed for signs of the missing vessel."
The search sense often appears in figurative and journalistic writing. The rapid-movement sense is chiefly literary or archaic.
An act of cleaning by vigorous rubbing, or a sudden, rapid movement.
"The cook gave the greasy pans a vigorous scour before rinsing them."
The noun is much less common than the verb and is now chiefly used in the sense of an act of cleansing.
The plural is grammatically formed but rarely needed because the noun is seldom used in repeated countable instances.
"Each scour of the pans was followed by a thorough rinse."
Scour hides two journeys: a vigorous hunt for dirt and a rapid hunt for information.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scour come from?
The word has more than one medieval ancestry. Its cleaning sense developed through Middle English from Old English sċūrian, whereas the sense of running rapidly came through Middle English and Old French escourer from Latin excurrere, meaning to run out or run forth. The rapid-running sense was subsequently extended to searching or examining thoroughly. The noun developed alongside the verb and inherited its principal meanings.
Related word forms
How scour is actually used
The cleaning sense can suggest vigorous or even abrasive rubbing. The rapid-running sense is literary or archaic, while the searching sense is common in journalism and figurative expressions such as searching records, files, or an area for clues.
Easily confused with scour
Scour means to clean, search, or move rapidly, whereas a scourge is a punishment or a source of severe suffering.