51Թ

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View synonyms for

comb

1

[ kohm ]

noun

  1. a toothed strip of plastic, hard rubber, bone, wood, or metal, used for arranging the hair, untangling it, or holding it in place.
  2. any comblike instrument, object, or formation.
  3. the fleshy, more or less serrated outgrowth on the head of certain gallinaceous birds, especially the domestic fowl.
  4. something resembling or suggesting this, as the crest of a wave.
  5. a honeycomb, or any similar group of cells.
  6. a machine for separating choice cotton or wool fibers from noil.
  7. a comblike instrument for imparting a grainlike finish to a painted surface.
  8. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a ridge of a roof.
  9. a series of springlike prongs projecting from a spine, usually of plastic, for making a loose-leaf binding.
  10. a trowel having a notched edge for applying adhesives in setting tiles or the like.
  11. Armor. a ridge along the top of a helmet, especially of the morion.
  12. Masonry. drag ( def 34 ).
  13. the upper edge of the buttstock of a rifle or shotgun.


verb (used with object)

  1. to arrange or adorn (the hair) with a comb.
  2. to use (something) in the manner of a comb:

    She was slowly combing her fingers through her hair.

  3. to remove (anything undesirable) with or as if with a comb:

    She combed the snarls out of her hair. They combed the cowards from the group.

  4. to search everywhere in:

    He combed the files for the missing letter.

  5. to separate (textile fibers) with a comb.
  6. to scrape with or as with a comb.
  7. to sweep across; rake:

    High winds combed the seacoast.

verb (used without object)

  1. to roll over or break at the crest, as a wave.

comb.

2

abbreviation for

  1. combination.
  2. combined.
  3. combining.
  4. combustion.

comb

/ əʊ /

noun

  1. a toothed device of metal, plastic, wood, etc, used for disentangling or arranging hair
  2. a tool or machine that separates, cleans, and straightens wool, cotton, etc
  3. the fixed cutter on a sheep-shearing machine
  4. anything resembling a toothed comb in form or function
  5. the fleshy deeply serrated outgrowth on the top of the heads of certain birds, esp the domestic fowl
  6. anything resembling the comb of a bird
  7. a currycomb
  8. a honeycomb
  9. the row of fused cilia in a ctenophore
  10. go over with a fine-tooth comb or go over with a fine-toothed comb or go through with a fine-tooth comb or go through with a fine-toothed comb
    to examine very thoroughly
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to use a comb on
  2. whentr, often foll by through to search or inspect with great care

    the police combed the woods

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • dz· adjective
  • dz··ness noun
  • ܲ·dz adjective
  • well-combed adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of comb1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English comb, camb; cognate with Old High German kamb ( German Kamm ), Old Norse kambr, Greek óDz “pin, peg,” dzíDz “molar tooth,” Slavic (Polish) ą “tǴdzٳ,” Tocharian A kam “tǴdzٳ”; cam 1, kempt
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of comb1

Old English camb; related to Old Norse kambr, Old High German camb
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Idioms and Phrases

see fine-tooth comb .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"How would madam like her hair today?" teased Mrs Bennett, combing the hair of one of her four-year-old charges.

From

For instance, even before construction began in 2022, the project built a nursery and sent horticulturists combing the hills around the site to collect about 1 million seeds from around 30 native plant species.

From

Officers have been seen combing fields on moors in the area as part of the search operation, which is based out of Crookfield car park.

From

I think it’s so cool that people are taking the time to comb through episodes, not only looking for clues, but they’re not missing anything.

From

Historians do not expect many ground-breaking revelations in the records, which they were combing over after Tuesday night's release.

From

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Related 51Թs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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