scrub1 verbscrub2 noun
scrubscrub1 /skrʌb/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle scrubbed, present participle scrubbing) 
WORD ORIGINscrub1
Origin:
1200-1300 Low German or a Scandinavian languageVERB TABLE
scrub
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | scrub |
| he, she, it | scrubs | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | scrubbed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have scrubbed |
| he, she, it | has scrubbed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had scrubbed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will scrub |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have scrubbed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am scrubbing |
| he, she, it | is scrubbing | |
| you, we, they | are scrubbing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was scrubbing |
| you, we, they | were scrubbing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been scrubbing |
| he, she, it | has been scrubbing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been scrubbing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be scrubbing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been scrubbing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Scrub the potatoes and boil them for 5-10 minutes.
- Scrub the potatoes, then put them in a pan of boiling water.
- Lou was on her knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor.
- Martin washed the mud off his hands and scrubbed his nails.
- Part of my job was to wash the dishes and scrub the floors.
- The kitchen floor needs to be scrubbed and waxed.
- We haven't really got enough money for the trip -- let's just scrub it.
- Yesterday's shuttle launch was scrubbed just ten minutes before liftoff.
- After she had swept the room, she scrubbed the floor.
- Fabric boots should be scrubbed with clean water to remove the dirt and allowed to dry naturally.
- He had scrubbed the kitchen floor, cleaned the stove, and was sprinkling borax around the edges of the room.
- Launch attempts were scrubbed seconds before liftoff on Thursday and Friday because of technical glitches.
- My grandmother loved opera, and as she scrubbed the floor she would sing one aria or another.
- She was damp, she was sore from scrubbing with the shower mitt, her hair hung in rats' tails.
- The kids are all scrubbed and coiffed, backpacks fitted firmly on square shoulders.
- They made us scrub all the way through pregnancy as well, right up to the end.
THESAURUS
to remove dirt from something: · I need to clean the car.· Clean the mud off your shoes.
to clean something with water and usually soap: · She’s washing her hair.· There’s nowhere to wash your clothes.
to clean a surface with a cloth, often a wet cloth: · Wipe the worktop when you’ve finished cooking.
to wash something by rubbing it hard, especially with a brush: · They made her scrub the floor.
to remove dirt from something using water, especially after washing it with soap: · Rinse your hair thoroughly after shampooing it.
formal to clean your skin, using water or a special cream: · There are many products available for cleansing your skin.
to clean a wound or a part of your body with water: · Bathe the cut and put a plaster on it.
(also do the washing-up British English) to wash plates and pans after a meal: · Who’s going to help me do the dishes?
(also do the washing British English) to wash clothes: · On Tuesdays, he does the washing.
to clean something with soap and water: · Our car needs washing.· Make sure that you wash your hands.
British English, do the laundry American English to wash clothes that need to be washed: · Did you do the laundry this morning?· I do the washing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
British English (also wash up British English), do the dishes American English to wash all the cups, plates, knives etc that you have used during a meal: · If you do the cooking tonight, I’ll do the washing up.· Who’s going to do the dishes?
formal to make something completely clean, especially using a special substance: · Carefully cleanse the cut to get rid of any grit or dirt.
to wash something with water in order to remove soap or dirt: · I’ll just rinse the lettuce under the tap.
to make something very clean, using a stiff brush and water, or soap and water: · Lou was on her knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor.
to wash a floor with a wet mop (=special stick with thick threads on the end): · A cleaner mopped the floor between the beds.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you are not allowed or do not have the power to do something to change a previous arrangement, so that a meeting, concert, game etc that was planned will not happen: · Classes were canceled for the day.· I forgot to cancel my doctor's appointment.· They were forced to cancel the concert when the conductor became ill.
to stop a meeting or event that you have organized: call off something: · The game was called off due to heavy rain.call something off: · Linda may call the wedding off.
if an event or activity is off , it has been cancelled because of a sudden problem or change in someone's plans: · I'm afraid the party's off. Nick won't let us use his apartment.· Myers called me yesterday to tell me that the deal was off.
British informal to decide not to do something that you have planned because there is a problem: · We haven't really got enough money for the trip -- let's just scrub it.
: shelve a project/plan/idea/proposal etc to decide not to continue with a plan, although it may be considered again at some time in the future: · Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.· The city shelved the project due to lack of funding.
to clean something with a brush to clean something with a brush: · You should brush your jacket -- it's covered in dust.brush something off: · I brushed the crumbs off the sofa.brush your teeth: · Have you brushed your teeth yet?
to clean something by rubbing it hard with a brush and some water or soap: · Part of my job was to wash the dishes and scrub the floors.· Scrub the potatoes and boil them for 5-10 minutes.
to clean the floor or the ground using a brush with a long handle: · When everyone had left, Ed swept the floor.sweep up something/sweep something up (=remove something from a floor by sweeping): · Can you help me sweep up all the pieces of glass?
to rub a cooking pan or hard surface with a piece of rough material in order to clean it: · I scoured the pots and pans.· Scour the bowl with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
to wash a car/floor/wall etc to clean something using a lot of water, and usually soap: · I really must wash the car this weekend.· When we moved in, we spent a whole day washing all the floors and paintwork.wash in: · The spinach leaves should be washed in cold water.
to clean something using soap and water, and usually by rubbing with a cloth or brush: · Where's that stuff you use for cleaning the bathtub?· I usually clean the windows about once a month.
to wash a floor using a special tool with a long handle that is dipped in a bucket of water: · Dan has to mop the floor of the café every night.
to make something very clean, using a stiff brush and water, or soap and water: · Martin washed the mud off his hands and scrubbed his nails.· Lou was on her knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor.· Scrub the potatoes, then put them in a pan of boiling water.
to wash something large with a lot of water: wash down something: · Wash down the walls and leave them to dry before putting up new wallpaper.wash something down: · Carol washed the van down and checked the oil and tyres.
to wash the inside of a cup, glass, pan, or container: wash out something: · I'll just go and wash out these glasses.wash something out: · When the bottle is empty, wash it out thoroughly before refilling.
WORD SETSbin, nounbin liner, nounboil, verbborax, nounBrillo pad, nounbroom, nounbroomstick, nouncarpet sweeper, nounchar, verbchar, nouncharlady, nouncharwoman, nounchimney sweep, nouncleaner, nouncleanser, nounclothes basket, nounclothesline, nounclothes peg, nounconditioner, noundeodorize, verbdescale, verbdisinfect, verbdisinfectant, noundry-clean, verbdust, verbduster, noundustpan, nounfabric softener, nounfeather duster, nounflush, verbFrench polish, nounfumigate, verbhamper, nounHoover, nounhoover, verbhygiene, nounhygienic, adjectivekitchen roll, nounlaundry basket, nounlimescale, nounline, nounload, nounmangle, nounmop, nounmop, verbpolish, nounrag, nounrinse, verbrinse, nounsanitary, adjectivesanitation, nounscour, verbscourer, nounscrub, verbscrub, nounscrubbing brush, nounshampoo, nounsoak, verbsoak, nounsoapflakes, nounsoap powder, nounsoapsuds, nounsoapy, adjectivesoda, nounsoftener, nounspin, verbspin-dryer, nounsqueegee, nounstarch, verbsuds, nounswab, verbsweep, verbsweep, nounsweeper, nounsweepings, nounswill, verbswill, nountea cloth, nountea towel, nountide-mark, nounturpentine, nounturps, nounvacuum, nounvacuum, verbvacuum cleaner, nounwash, nounwashable, adjectivewashboard, nounwashcloth, nounwashday, nounwasher, nounwasher-dryer, nounwashing, nounwashing line, nounwashing machine, nounwashing powder, nounwashing soda, nounwashing-up, nounwashing-up liquid, nounwashtub, nounwhisk broom, nounwindow cleaner, nounwipe, verbwire wool, nounwring, verbwringer, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
The table needs to be scrubbed clean.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[intransitive, transitive] to rub something hard, especially with a stiff brush, in order to clean it: The table needs to be scrubbed clean. (=use a brush to clean something)· She quickly swept the floor clean.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· After she had swept the room, she scrubbed the floor.· He had scrubbed the kitchen floor, cleaned the stove, and was sprinkling borax around the edges of the room.· After she had scrubbed the floor, she polished the furniture.· Before Easter, his wife will join the other neighborhood ladies for the traditional scrubbing of the church floors.· Before she polished the furniture, she scrubbed the floor.· I entered a hall crammed with low stretcher beds, placed row upon row on an antiseptic, scrubbed floor.· Before she scrubbed the floor, she swept the room.· A lawyer whose son was hospitalized with bulbar polio worked in the hospital kitchen scrubbing the floors.
· He had scrubbed the kitchen floor, cleaned the stove, and was sprinkling borax around the edges of the room.· At eleven it was understood that I washed the breakfast things and scrubbed the kitchen floor before I started my homework.· The women polish the furniture, scrub the kitchen and weed the flowerbeds while Mrs McCormick is gone.
She was on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. He scrubbed the dirt off his boots. The table needs to be scrubbed clean.scrub at She scrubbed at her face with a tissue.► see thesaurus at clean2[transitive] informal to decide not to do something that you had planned SYN cancel: We scrubbed the idea in the end.3[transitive] to remove carbon dioxide from the gas that results from burning coal, before letting it out into the air: The liquid is used to scrub carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust gases.scrub something ↔ out phrasal verb to clean the inside of a place thoroughly: The rooms are all scrubbed out once a week.scrub up phrasal verb to wash your hands and arms before doing a medical operationscrub1 verbscrub2 noun
scrubscrub2 noun WORD ORIGINscrub2
Origin:
1 1300-1400 shrub2 1900-2000 ➔ SCRUB1EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Christine reached the hut from the road by a steep track through the scrub and so avoided the house.
- Instead of the lake, my gaze rested upon a broken expanse of scrub.
- No one believed they would be scrubs, either.
- One outstanding local example was the Broyle in Ringmer, 2000 acres of scrub and clay mire, an old deer park.
- Single-brooded, some nightingales start the flight south - to tropical Savannah, or thorny scrub - at the end of July.
- There was nothing around them, just a bit of scrub in the distance.
- Try using fine sea salt as a scrub - this will help dry out blemishes naturally because it's slightly antiseptic.
WORD SETS
bin, nounbin liner, nounboil, verbborax, nounBrillo pad, nounbroom, nounbroomstick, nouncarpet sweeper, nounchar, verbchar, nouncharlady, nouncharwoman, nounchimney sweep, nouncleaner, nouncleanser, nounclothes basket, nounclothesline, nounclothes peg, nounconditioner, noundeodorize, verbdescale, verbdisinfect, verbdisinfectant, noundry-clean, verbdust, verbduster, noundustpan, nounfabric softener, nounfeather duster, nounflush, verbFrench polish, nounfumigate, verbhamper, nounHoover, nounhoover, verbhygiene, nounhygienic, adjectivekitchen roll, nounlaundry basket, nounlimescale, nounline, nounload, nounmangle, nounmop, nounmop, verbpolish, nounrag, nounrinse, verbrinse, nounsanitary, adjectivesanitation, nounscour, verbscourer, nounscrub, verbscrub, nounscrubbing brush, nounshampoo, nounsoak, verbsoak, nounsoapflakes, nounsoap powder, nounsoapsuds, nounsoapy, adjectivesoda, nounsoftener, nounspin, verbspin-dryer, nounsqueegee, nounstarch, verbsuds, nounswab, verbsweep, verbsweep, nounsweeper, nounsweepings, nounswill, verbswill, nountea cloth, nountea towel, nountide-mark, nounturpentine, nounturps, nounvacuum, nounvacuum, verbvacuum cleaner, nounwash, nounwashable, adjectivewashboard, nounwashcloth, nounwashday, nounwasher, nounwasher-dryer, nounwashing, nounwashing line, nounwashing machine, nounwashing powder, nounwashing soda, nounwashing-up, nounwashing-up liquid, nounwashtub, nounwhisk broom, nounwindow cleaner, nounwipe, verbwire wool, nounwring, verbwringer, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I gave the floor a good scrub.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[uncountable] low bushes and trees that grow in very dry soil2[singular] especially British English if you give something a scrub, you clean it by rubbing it hard: I gave the floor a good scrub. (=use a brush to clean something)· She quickly swept the floor clean.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB· If it does need sanding, get this done and then give the scrub and wash treatment.
I gave the floor a good scrub.