1 B2 neutral
To clean a surface thoroughly by scrubbing it hard with an abrasive material, typically working downward.
"Before the inspection, the crew scoured down the ship's deck until it gleamed."
separable
scour down
B2 neutral separable transitive
To clean a surface vigorously by scrubbing it with an abrasive material from top to bottom.
In plain English
To scrub something very hard to make it clean, usually going from top to bottom.
What does "scour down" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 neutral
To search a surface or area thoroughly and exhaustively.
"Investigators scoured down every inch of the crime scene looking for fingerprints."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To scour (scrub hard) downward — transparent.
Actually means
To scrub something very hard to make it clean, usually going from top to bottom.
Usage tip
Used for cleaning surfaces such as walls, decks, pots, or floors using abrasive force. The 'down' implies thoroughness or a top-to-bottom direction of cleaning. Less common than 'scrub down'.
Words that pair with "scour down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
walls deck pots pans floor surface
How to conjugate "scour down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
scour down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
scours down
he/she/it
Past simple
scoured down
yesterday
Past participle
scoured down
have + pp
-ing form
scouring down
continuous
Hear "scour down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "scour down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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