scours

/skaʊərz/
verb
  1. To clean something thoroughly by rubbing it hard, often with a rough material or chemical.
    • The janitor scours the bathroom tiles every morning.
    • He scours his hands with soap after working in the garden.
    • She scours the burnt pot with steel wool until it shines.
  2. To search a place or area very carefully and thoroughly.
    • The detective scours the neighborhood for any witnesses.
    • The rescue team scours the forest for the lost hiker.
    • I scours the internet for the best deal on a used car.
  3. To wear away or erode a surface by the action of water, ice, or wind.
    • The river scours the riverbed during the spring floods.
    • Glaciers scours the landscape, leaving deep valleys behind.
    • Strong winds scours the desert rocks into smooth shapes.
noun
  1. The action of cleaning something by rubbing hard.
    • A good scours with bleach removes the mold from the shower.
    • After a thorough scours, the floor looked like new.
    • The pan needs a scours with a scrub brush to get off the grease.
  2. Diarrhea in farm animals, especially young ones.
    • Scours can be dangerous for lambs if they get dehydrated.
    • The vet treated the calves for scours with special medicine.
    • The farmer checks the piglets daily for signs of scours.