Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense scrubs, present participle scrubbing, past tense, past participle scrubbed
1. verb
If you scrub something, you rub it hard in order to clean it, using a stiff brush and water.
Surgeons began to scrub their hands and arms with soap and water before operating. [VERB noun]
The corridors are scrubbed clean. [beVERB-ed]
Synonyms: scour, clean, polish, rub More Synonyms of scrub
Scrub is also a noun.
The walls needed a good scrub.
2. verb
If you scrub dirt or stains off something, you remove them by rubbing hard.
I started to scrub off the dirt. [V n with off/away]
Matthew scrubbed the coal dust from his face. [VERB noun preposition]
3. uncountable noun
Scrub consists of low trees and bushes, especially in an area that has very little rain.
...an area of scrub and woodland.
Synonyms: undergrowth, brush, underwood, bracken More Synonyms of scrub
More Synonyms of scrub
scrub in British English1
(skrʌb)
verbWord forms: scrubs, scrubbing or scrubbed
1.
to rub (a surface) hard, with or as if with a brush, soap, and water, in order to clean it
2.
to remove (dirt), esp by rubbing with a brush and water
3. (intransitive; foll byup)
(of a surgeon) to wash the hands and arms thoroughly before operating
4. (transitive)
to purify (a vapour or gas) by removing impurities
5. (transitive) informal
to delete or cancel
6. (intransitive) horse racing slang
(of jockeys) to urge a horse forwards by moving the arms and whip rhythmically forwards and backwards alongside its neck
noun
7.
the act of or an instance of scrubbing
Word origin
C14: from Middle Low German schrubben, or Middle Dutch schrobben
scrub in British English2
(skrʌb)
noun
1.
a.
vegetation consisting of stunted trees, bushes, and other plants growing in an arid area
b.
(as modifier)
scrub vegetation
2.
an area of arid land covered with such vegetation
3.
a.
an animal of inferior breeding or condition
b.
(as modifier)
a scrub bull
4.
a small or insignificant person
5.
anything stunted or inferior
6. sport, US and Canadian
a player not in the first team
7. the scrub
adjective
8.
small, stunted, or inferior
9. sport, US and Canadian
a.
(of a player) not in the first team
b.
(of a team) composed of such players
c.
(of a contest) between scratch or incomplete teams
Word origin
C16: variation of shrub1
scrub in American English1
(skrʌb)
verb transitiveWord forms: scrubbed or ˈscrubbing
1.
to clean or wash by rubbing or brushing hard
2.
to remove (dirt, etc.) by brushing or rubbing
3.
to rub hard
4.
to cleanse (a gas) of impurities
5. Informal
a.
to cancel or call off (esp. a rocket launch before or during the countdown)
b.
to get rid of; eliminate
verb intransitive
6.
to clean something by rubbing, as with a brush
noun
7.
the act of scrubbing
8.
a person who scrubs
Word origin
ME scrobben, prob. < Scand, as in Dan skrubbe, Norw dial. skrubba, to rub hard, akin to MLowG schrubben < IE base *(s)ker-, to cut > scrape
scrub in American English2
(skrʌb)
noun
1.
a.
a scraggly, stunted tree or shrub
b.
short, stunted trees, bushes, or shrubs growing thickly together
c.
land covered with such growth
2.
a.
any animal or thing smaller than the usual, or inferior in quality, breed, etc.
b.
any small or insignificant person
3. US, Sport
a.
a player not on the varsity squad or regular team
b. [pl.]
a secondary or practice team made up of such players
adjective
4.
mean; poor; inferior
5.
undersized, undernourished, or stunted
6. US, Sport
of or for the scrubs
Word origin
ME, var. of shrubbe, shrub1, infl. ? by ON skroppa, a lean creature
scrub in Chemical Engineering
(skrʌb)
Word forms: (present) scrubs, (past) scrubbed, (perfect) scrubbed, (progressive) scrubbing
verb
(Chemical Engineering: General)
To scrub a vapor or gas is to purify it by removing impurities.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ a gas~ vapor~ steam
A utility that burns high-sulfur coal currently has the option of switching to alow-sulfur coal or scrubbing flue gases to remove sulfur dioxide.
The next step in the gas cleanup system is to scrub the raw gas with condensate from the power cycle to remove the fine particles thathave been carried along in the fuel gas.
To scrub a vapor or gas is to purify it by removing impurities.
scrubber
Examples of 'scrub' in a sentence
scrub
We all know a face scrub is essential to buff away dead skin cells.
The Sun (2013)
The sugar and honey scrub smells good enough to eat.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There were low trees and scrub all around.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The hardest part was the daily ritual of having his open wounds scrubbed clean.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Scrub skin well with a body polish.
The Sun (2009)
The table was scrubbed clean and covered between meals.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Use a stiff brush to scrub the potatoes clean.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She was forced to scrub floors with bleach.
The Sun (2015)
That includes both scrubbing at your face with grainy products and using skincare that contains acids.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You have to scrub really hard.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The walls needed a good scrub.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
Scrub and grassland with many butterflies.
Perring, Franklyn A Guide to Britain's Conservation Heritage (1991)
We could try to scrub away our sins with good deeds, but it will not work.
Christianity Today (2000)
That's going to be a hard one to scrub off.
The Sun (2015)
They had scrubbed the house from top to bottom, determined to return to a sparkling clean home.
The Sun (2013)
Where better to scrub away pollutants and declare yourself clean, green and ready to save the world?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But it landed in scrub parched by scorching summer temperatures - triggering a host of fires that joined to form one big blaze.
The Sun (2009)
I was scrubbing the house and then scrubbing myself, cleansing myself.
The Sun (2012)
In other languages
scrub
British English: scrub /skrʌb/ VERB
If you scrub something, you rub it hard in order to clean it, using a stiff brush and water.
Surgeons began to scrub their hands and arms with soap and water before operating.
American English: scrub
Arabic: يَحُكُّ
Brazilian Portuguese: esfregar
Chinese: 擦
Croatian: izribati prati
Czech: drhnout
Danish: skrubbe
Dutch: boenen
European Spanish: fregar
Finnish: kuurata
French: récurer
German: schrubben
Greek: τρίβω με δύναμη
Italian: strofinare
Japanese: ごしごし洗う
Korean: 북북 문대다
Norwegian: skrubbe
Polish: wyszorować
European Portuguese: esfregar
Romanian: a freca cu peria
Russian: скрести
Latin American Spanish: fregar
Swedish: skrubba
Thai: ถูทำความสะอาดอย่างแรง
Turkish: ovalamak
Ukrainian: терти
Vietnamese: kỳ cọ
All related terms of 'scrub'
scrub jay
a crestless jay , Aphelocoma coerulescens , of the western and southern U.S. and Mexico , having blue and grayish plumage
scrub oak
any of several oaks , as Quercus ilicifolia and Q . prinoides , characterized by a scrubby manner of growth, usually found in dry, rocky soil
the scrub
a remote place, esp one where contact with people can be avoided
body scrub
a product designed to exfoliate the skin
scrub-bash
to clear scrubland
scrub bird
either of two fast-running wren-like passerine birds, Atrichornis clamosus or A. rufescens, that constitute the Australian family Atrichornithidae
scrub brush
a handheld brush with short stiff bristles , used esp for scrubbing floors
scrub fowl
any ground-living gallinaceous bird of the family Megapodiidae, of Australia, New Guinea , and adjacent islands. Their eggs incubate in mounds of sand , rotting vegetation , etc, by natural heat
scrub nurse
a nurse specially trained to assist surgeons in the operating room and serving as part of the surgically clean medical team handling instruments during an operation
scrub round
to waive ; avoid or ignore
facial scrub
a beauty product or treatment which cleanses and exfoliates the skin of the face
scrub turkey
→ another name for megapode
scrub typhus
an acute febrile disease characterized by severe headache , skin rash , chills , and swelling of the lymph nodes , caused by the bite of mites infected with the microorganism Rickettsia tsutsugamushi : occurs mainly in Asia, Australia, and the islands of the western Pacific
scrubbing brush
a handheld brush with short stiff bristles , used esp for scrubbing floors
Chinese translation of 'scrub'
scrub
(skrʌb)
vt
[floor, pan, one's hands]擦洗 (cāxǐ)
[vegetables, clothes]刷洗 (shuāxǐ)
vi
用力擦洗 (yònglì cāxǐ)
n
(u) (= land) 低矮丛(叢)林地 (dī'ǎi cónglíndì)
(s) (= wash) 擦洗 (cāxǐ)
to scrub sth clean将(將)某物擦净(淨) (jiāng mǒuwù cājìng)
to give sth a scrub刷净(淨)某物 (shuājìng mǒuwù)
1 (verb)
Definition
to rub (something) hard in order to clean it
The corridors are scrubbed clean.
Synonyms
scour
He decided to scour the sink.
clean
Her father cleaned his glasses with a paper napkin.
It took half an hour to clean the orange powder off the bath.
polish
Every morning he polished his shoes.
rub
She took off her glasses and rubbed them.
wash
He got a job washing dishes in a pizza parlour.
cleanse
She demonstrated the proper way to cleanse the face.
buff
He was already buffing the car's hubs.
exfoliate
2 (verb)
Definition
to delete or cancel (an idea or plan)
(informal)
The whole thing had to be scrubbed.
Synonyms
cancel
The foreign minister has cancelled his visit to Washington.
drop
I was told to drop the idea.
give up
abandon
The authorities have abandoned any attempt to distribute food.
abolish
They voted to abolish the death penalty.
forget about
call off
delete
He deleted files from the computer system.
do away with
discontinue
Do not discontinue the treatment without consulting your doctor.
(noun)
Definition
vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes growing in a dry area
There is an area of scrub and woodland beside the railway.
Synonyms
undergrowth
plunging through the undergrowth
brush
a meadow of low brush and grass
underwood
bracken
brambles
briars
underbrush
brushwood
underbush
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abandon
Definition
to give up completely
The authorities have abandoned any attempt to distribute food.
Synonyms
stop,
drop,
give up,
halt,
cease,
cut out,
pack in (British, informal),
discontinue,
leave off,
desist from
in the sense of abolish
Definition
to do away with (laws, regulations, or customs)
They voted to abolish the death penalty.
Synonyms
do away with,
end,
destroy,
eliminate,
shed,
cancel,
axe (informal),
get rid of,
ditch (slang),
dissolve,
junk (informal),
suppress,
overturn,
throw out,
discard,
wipe out,
overthrow,
void,
terminate,
drop,
trash (slang),
repeal,
eradicate,
put an end to,
quash,
extinguish,
dispense with,
revoke,
stamp out,
obliterate,
subvert,
jettison,
repudiate,
annihilate,
rescind,
exterminate,
invalidate,
bring to an end,
annul,
nullify,
blot out,
expunge (formal),
abrogate (archaic),
vitiate (archaic),
extirpate (archaic),
kennet (Australian, slang),
jeff (Australian, slang)
in the sense of brush
Definition
a thick growth of shrubs and small trees
a meadow of low brush and grass
Synonyms
shrubs,
bushes,
scrub,
underwood,
undergrowth,
thicket,
copse,
brushwood
Synonyms of 'scrub'
scrub
Explore 'scrub' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of buff
Definition
to clean or polish (a metal, floor, shoes, etc.) with a buff
He was already buffing the car's hubs.
Synonyms
polish,
clean,
smooth,
brush,
shine,
rub,
wax,
brighten,
burnish
in the sense of clean
Definition
to make or become free of dirt
Her father cleaned his glasses with a paper napkin.It took half an hour to clean the orange powder off the bath.
Synonyms
cleanse,
wash,
bath,
sweep,
dust,
wipe,
vacuum,
scrub,
sponge,
rinse,
mop,
launder,
scour,
purify,
do up,
swab,
disinfect,
lave,
deodorize,
sanitize,
deep clean
in the sense of cleanse
Definition
to remove dirt from
She demonstrated the proper way to cleanse the face.
Synonyms
clean,
wash,
scrub,
rinse,
scour,
lustrate
in the sense of delete
Definition
to remove or cross out (something printed or written)
He deleted files from the computer system.
Synonyms
remove,
cancel,
cut out,
erase,
edit,
excise,
strike out,
obliterate,
efface,
blot out,
cross out,
expunge (formal),
dele,
rub out,
edit out,
blue-pencil
in the sense of discontinue
Definition
to come or bring to an end
Do not discontinue the treatment without consulting your doctor.
Synonyms
stop,
end,
finish,
drop,
kick (informal),
give up,
abandon,
suspend,
quit,
halt,
pause,
cease,
axe (informal),
interrupt,
terminate,
break off,
put an end to,
refrain from,
leave off,
pull the plug on,
belay
in the sense of drop
Definition
to discontinue
I was told to drop the idea.
Synonyms
quit,
give up,
abandon,
cease,
axe (informal),
kick (informal),
terminate,
shun,
relinquish,
remit,
discontinue,
forsake,
turn your back on
in the sense of polish
Definition
to make smooth and shiny by rubbing
Every morning he polished his shoes.
Synonyms
shine,
wax,
clean,
smooth,
rub,
buff,
brighten,
burnish,
furbish
in the sense of rub
Definition
to clean, polish, or dry by rubbing
She took off her glasses and rubbed them.
Synonyms
polish,
clean,
shine,
wipe,
scour
in the sense of wash
Definition
to clean (oneself, part of one's body, or a thing) with soap or detergent and water