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🧼 To clean hard 🧼 A hard cleaning ❌ To cancel 🌿 Low bushes 🎮 An unskilled person 🐄 Of mixed breed
to scrub

to scrub

145 1.0
To clean something by rubbing it hard with a brush and water
  • verb
  • /skrʌb/
: fregar
  • And he discovered that it's really hard, you have to scrub a lot to get the tub clean.
  • scrub the floor

Well, in between summers I was scrubbing floors and doing housekeeping.

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Examples

  • Once a week, the women scrub their pavements with green soap and water.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Now he lay on his back, watching me scrub the table with a dishcloth.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • We just went to go scrub, scrub down the old apartment.

  • I have to jump in the shower now and scrub myself down.

  • Put your clothes in that plastic bag, then take a shower and scrub down everything.

    Knox Goes Away (2024)

  • We're going to go round the house and scrub all the black out of the corners of the windows.

    By Deception (2022)

  • Wash your hair and scrub your nails.

    The Man in the White Van (2024)

  • She can scrub the floor at my house any time she wants.

    Unconquered (1947)

  • I felt disgusted by the place, so I wanted to scrub it clean from top to bottom.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • She needs to scrub the kitchen floor to remove the stains from the tiles.

Synonyms

to clean
vsto scrub
∞ 1.0

To remove dirt and stains

specifies cleaning by hard rubbing with brush, cloth, sponge, and cleaner
to wipe off
vsto scrub
131 1.0

Remove dirt or marks from a surface by rubbing with a cloth

stresses vigorous rubbing to remove stubborn dirt rather than gentle wiping
to mop
vsto scrub
71 1.0

To clean a floor with a long handle and wet cloth

uses stronger, harder rubbing to remove dirt rather than gentle wet sweeping
to wash off
vsto scrub
61 1.0

To remove something from a surface by washing with water or soap

adds strong physical rubbing to remove stubborn dirt rather than just washing
to wipe away
vsto scrub
47 2.0

To remove something from a surface by moving a cloth over it, like tears or dirt

involves harder, repeated rubbing to break off tough dirt instead of light wiping
to wipe up
vsto scrub
12 1.8

To clean a surface using a cloth or towel to remove a spill

uses firm rubbing and cleaning tools rather than simple spill removal
to scrub off
vsto scrub
9 2.5

To remove dirt or stains by rubbing hard with a brush

uses hard rubbing generally rather than only removing surface residues
to scour
vsto scrub
6 4.8

To clean something by rubbing it hard with a rough cloth or brush

means hard rubbing too but not always with abrasives or extra force
to steam clean
vsto scrub
4 3.2

Remove dirt or stains from something using hot steam

cleans by strong rubbing with a tool, not by steam or heat alone
to sponge
vsto scrub
3 2.1

To clean up liquid by using a soft thing that soaks it up

focuses on forceful rubbing to remove dirt rather than absorption
to sponge down
vsto scrub
  • Informal
1 3.7

Clean a person or surface by rubbing with a wet cloth

relies on hard rubbing and tools like brushes rather than just a sponge
to scour out
vsto scrub
1 4.6

To clean something very well by scrubbing or washing

is the act of hard rubbing itself rather than focusing on emptying out
to sponge off
vsto scrub
1 2.6

To rub a surface with a wet sponge to clean it

uses stronger, harder rubbing and may use brushes or cleaners

Antonyms

to dirty
12 1.0

To make something unclean or covered with dirt

to mess up
  • Informal
5 3.0

To make something untidy, dirty, or not in the right place

Phrasal Verbs

to scrub off
9 2.5

To remove dirt or stains by rubbing hard with a brush

to scrub up
  • Specialized
5 4.9

To wash your hands and forearms very carefully before surgery or other medical procedures

to scrub the kitchen
1 2.3

To clean the kitchen by rubbing surfaces to remove dirt or stains

Compounds

scrub brush
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

scrub oak
  • US
1 7.0

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

scrub pine
  • US
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

scrub palmetto
  • US
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

scrub turkey
  • US
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

to scour
6 4.8
to scrub
145 1.0
to clean
∞ 1.0
to wipe
390 1.0
to dust
83 1.0

Surface Forms

scrub infinitive
scrubbed past
scrubbed past participle
scrubbing present participle
scrubs third person singular

Etymology

Scrub as a verb to clean comes from the old sense 'to rub hard', the same idea as rub. So to 'scrub' is to rub a surface hard to remove dirt.