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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in groomed
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Recent Examples of combed
Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Even better, the researchers at GreenLight Biosciences combed through bioinformatic databases to find just the right gene to disrupt to avoid collateral damage to honeybees and other harmless species.
—Andrew Rosenblum, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Last year, Winter combed through the archives and picked out his favorite moments from four decades of solstice celebrations.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Researchers and journalists combed through the videos and identified 288 people — including seven women and 12 children — who were killed.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
The 4-layer coverlet is made of 100% combed cotton.
—Terri Williams, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Since then, groups in the Netherlands and Belgium have combed through medical records to examine outcomes of pregnant patients with these types of abnormal results.
—Byjennifer Couzin-Frankel, science.org, 4 Dec. 2024
Think tanks the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust combed through official waiting time data for emergency and planned care, as well as a government survey on hospital waits, to find out who was being worst affected by delays.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
In central Beirut, rescue workers Friday combed through the rubble of a collapsed building, searching for survivors of an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens in the Lebanese capital the night before.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Diamant and Kafka combed the park for it to no avail.
—Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Even better, the researchers at GreenLight Biosciences combed through bioinformatic databases to find just the right gene to disrupt to avoid collateral damage to honeybees and other harmless species.
—Andrew Rosenblum, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Last year, Winter combed through the archives and picked out his favorite moments from four decades of solstice celebrations.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Researchers and journalists combed through the videos and identified 288 people — including seven women and 12 children — who were killed.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
The 4-layer coverlet is made of 100% combed cotton.
—Terri Williams, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Since then, groups in the Netherlands and Belgium have combed through medical records to examine outcomes of pregnant patients with these types of abnormal results.
—Byjennifer Couzin-Frankel, science.org, 4 Dec. 2024
Think tanks the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust combed through official waiting time data for emergency and planned care, as well as a government survey on hospital waits, to find out who was being worst affected by delays.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
In central Beirut, rescue workers Friday combed through the rubble of a collapsed building, searching for survivors of an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens in the Lebanese capital the night before.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combed
Verb
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After recapturing Jerusalem’s Holy Temple, which had been converted into a place of idol worship, the website says, the Maccabees searched for pure oil with which to light the Temple menorah.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Detroit Free Press,
24 Dec. 2024
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And yet, despite accepting the reality of the injury and what lies ahead of him, Moe Wagner searched for the good in the situation while keeping a smile on his face Monday.—
Jason Beede,
Orlando Sentinel,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Canada and its influence is limited.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 July 2025
-
The company was founded by Paola Peraza Calderon, Ry Walker, Greg Neiheisel, Viraj Parekh, and Pete DeJoy.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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Though beefy humanoids like Boston Dynamics’ Atlas have been able to perform terrifyingly impressive feats of acrobatics for the better part of a decade, many of those feats were scripted and the result of meticulous coding and fine-tuning by human engineers.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
23 July 2025
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Their ‘Rare Handcrafts’ models showcase the delicate art of hand engraving under a binocular microscope, creating a newfound appreciation for the meticulous work of jewelry and watchmakers.—
Anna Haines,
AFAR Media,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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The trailer is careful to showcase the film’s scale – fighter planes soar, speedboats roar, trains careen, and cities flash by in a blur – while keeping plot details tantalizingly out of reach.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 July 2025
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The hamstring injury Mount suffered overextending his leg in the Manchester derby in December kept him out until March, and Amorim was careful to reintroduce him — and praised his diligence in returning to fitness.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combed. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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