to comb out
- phrasal verb
- /koʊm aʊt/
:
eliminar
- During the audit, the agency combed out outdated procedures to improve efficiency.
Examples
-
The team spent hours combing out unnecessary regulations from the policy.
-
Don't forget to comb out the excess threads!
-
The editors carefully combed out errors from the manuscript before publication.
-
She combs out the impurities from the mixture.
-
After washing her dog, she took a moment to comb out the tangles from its fur.
-
He carefully combed out the sand and debris from the old rug to restore its original beauty.
-
The gardener combed out the dead leaves and weeds from the flower beds to promote healthier growth.
Synonyms
241
1.4
To remove unwanted parts like seeds or stems
136
3.2
To remove something unwanted from a place
77
3.2
To remove a shape from paper or cloth using scissors
37
3.8
To remove unwanted people or things from a group
27
4.0
Remove an outside layer or covering from something to show what is under it
20
3.8
To remove unwanted things from water, air, or lists by letting the rest pass
18
3.8
Remove something from where it is, for example a nail or a secret
16
3.8
To get rid of something completely so it no longer exists
15
6.3
Remove a substance or part from material like soil
14
7.2
To cut out part of a body or text
10
1.8
To take things away from a place to make it tidy
9
4.3
To check and remove people or things that are not wanted
9
2.0
Clean something using water to remove dirt or stains
7
3.7
Remove one part from a mixture using a filter or another method
7
3.3
Remove the inside of something with a spoon or small tool so it becomes hollow
2
3.6
To look through items carefully to choose the best or remove bad ones
2
4.2
To remove things you do not need to make something smaller or work better
1
2.2
To remove dirt or leaves from a place using a broom
1
5.3
Remove unwanted bits from food or material by passing them through a screen
1
4.1
To remove things you do not need to make a place tidy and easier to use
To remove unwanted items from data, air, or water before the main cleaning step
To remove unwanted things so only useful ones remain
Antonyms
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to use a comb to untangle, smooth, or neaten hair' is directly derived from combining 'comb' (apply a comb to hair) with the particle 'out' (indicating thoroughness or removal), so a learner who knows those constituent senses can infer the MWE. Although the supplied verb sense of 'comb' (to search) differs, the grooming sense is common and the compositional pattern is cross‑linguistically straightforward, making this transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Comb out may come from the image of using a comb to pull small bits or knots out of hair or a pile of papers. The comb goes through carefully and catches things you do not want, so the phrase means 'to remove unwanted elements'.