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scrub

scrub

28 1.1
A hard rubbing of a surface to clean it
  • noun
  • /skrʌb/
: fregado
  • It's got the moisturizer, the face scrub and the face wash as well.

Examples

  • You know, the place really looked like it needed a scrub.

  • So one of the boxes came with lip scrub and a green tinted primer.

  • This is a sort of daily scrub that you can use daily.

  • So it's like a scrub, like a soap scrub to your skin.

  • So this is a shower scrub or a bath scrub and it just smells so good.

  • This is like a clear scrub with little pink beads in it.

  • I had the body wash, the lotion, the scrub, the spray.

  • On the last day, she exerted the remains of her formidable energy on a total scrub-down of the bathroom.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • He used a scrub to clean the greasy stains from the kitchen counter.

  • After a long day of gardening, she took a scrub to remove the dirt from her hands.

Synonyms

cleaning
vsscrub
396 1.0

The act of removing dirt and dust from a place or object

limits this to hard physical action with a brush to remove dirt
washing
vsscrub
128 1.0

The act of cleaning something with water and soap

stresses hard rubbing often with a brush rather than just water
wash
vsscrub
98 1.0

An act of cleaning something with water, often using soap

emphasizes hard, forceful rubbing rather than general washing
rub
vsscrub
62 1.0

A repeated movement across a surface, like with a cloth, to make it clean or shiny

applies this motion specifically to hard cleaning with soap and a brush
scrubbing
vsscrub
12 1.0

Cleaning a surface by rubbing it with a brush, soap, and water to remove dirt

is identical in meaning and typical usage
rubbing
vsscrub
9 1.5

The action of moving one thing over another with pressure to make heat, clean, or ease pain

is specifically the cleaning act that uses strong friction to remove dirt
cleansing
vsscrub
9 3.9

Making something clean by removing dirt

highlights the physical rubbing method rather than the general process
brush
vsscrub
3 1.0

Cleaning or arranging something with a brush

focuses on hard rubbing action rather than the tool used
scouring
vsscrub
2 4.1

Cleaning a surface by rubbing it hard with a brush and soap

is the same action but with less vigorous rubbing

Compounds

4 2.3

A brush with short, stiff bristles for cleaning hard surfaces

scrub nurse
  • Specialized
3 3.9

A hospital worker who helps the surgeon during surgery by keeping things sterile and handing instruments

1 7.0

A small oak tree that grows like a bush in dry soil and forms dense bushes

1 8.2

A small, bushy pine tree with twisted branches and short needles in pairs that grows in the eastern United States

scrub bird
  • Australian
1 9.5

A small Australian bird like a wren that runs fast in low dense bushes

1 9.5

A small tough palm that grows in clumps with spiny leaves in the southern United States

scrub typhus
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A disease people get when tiny animals called mites bite them that gives fever and a rash

1 9.1

A wild turkey that lives in the bush and has tougher meat

scrub fowl
  • Australian
9.9

A large ground bird that builds a warm mound of rotting plants to hatch its eggs

scrub beefwood
  • Australian
9.9

A tree or tall shrub that has shiny leaves, white fragrant flowers, and hard red wood in Australia

scrub plane
  • Specialized
8.4

A narrow heavy tool that quickly removes lots of rough wood

scrub-bird
  • Australian
9.9

A small Australian bird like a wren that runs quickly in thick low bushes

seaside scrub oak
  • Specialized
9.1

A small evergreen shrub or tree that grows in sandy coastal areas and forms dense thickets

How Clean

scouring
2 4.1
scrub
28 1.1
cleaning
396 1.0
wipe
8 1.0

Surface Forms

scrub singular
scrubs plural

Etymology

Scrub meaning a hard cleaning comes from an old verb that meant 'to rub hard', very like the simple word rub. So a 'scrub' is a strong clean that rubs dirt away.