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Glite Dictionary
to scrub the kitchen

to scrub the kitchen

1 2.3
To clean the kitchen by rubbing surfaces to remove dirt or stains
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : fregar la cocina
  • She scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom sinks, the tub, and the mirror.
  • scrubbed the kitchen floor
  • scrub the kitchen every night

Examples

  • But we didn't scrub the kitchen counters every day because that didn't need to be done, though it should have been done.

    Blog text (12)

  • After dinner, we need to scrub the kitchen to make it sparkling clean.

  • His mother was still scrubbing the kitchen floor.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • They could scrub the kitchen, clean the parking lot, and pick up the trash.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I wouldn't be surprised if she scrubbed the kitchen floor every night on her hands and knees.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Love is picking up his pants from around the house and getting down on my hands and knees (yes, at 7 months pregnant) to scrub the kitchen and dining room floors.

    Blog text (23)

  • On this day, she scrubbed the kitchen, seasoned the pork, and finished a sheets and towels load all before the noon-time soaps.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Gracie smiled happily and set about scrubbing the kitchen floor with a vigor and enthusiasm quite out of proportion to her interest in the task.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Yet when Josh developed a serious flu that kept him vomiting for four days, my mother arrived; she threw open windows, scrubbed the kitchen, and brought in groceries while I tended to Josh.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Here she was, on her knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor, unable to see her life beyond these never-ending chores—it was an insurmountable wall.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

to clean
vsto scrub the kitchen
∞ 1.0

To remove dirt and stains

is specific to intense surface rubbing to remove stains thoroughly
to clean up
vsto scrub the kitchen
433 1.0

To make a room or area free of dirt and tidy by removing mess

focuses on heavy surface cleaning rather than tidying or arranging items
to scrub
vsto scrub the kitchen
55 1.0

To clean something by rubbing it hard with a brush and water

is about cleaning the whole room by that strong rubbing action
to steam clean
vsto scrub the kitchen
3 3.2

Remove dirt or stains from something using hot steam

cleans by hard rubbing rather than using hot steam
to scour out
vsto scrub the kitchen
4.6

To clean something very well by scrubbing or washing

emphasizes the whole room cleaned with hard rubbing rather than light cleaning

Antonyms

to mess up
  • Informal
52 3.0

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

How Clean

to sanitize
  • US
11 3.7
to scrub the kitchen
1 2.3

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

scrub + the + kitchen

The meaning 'to clean the kitchen thoroughly' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'scrub' (to remove dirt by vigorous rubbing) with 'kitchen' (room where food is prepared), with the article simply marking the object. This is a straightforward verb + noun object composition common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The phrase scrub the kitchen comes from the simple image of using a stiff brush, soap, and water to rub away grease and stains on counters and floors. So to scrub the kitchen means 'to clean the kitchen' completely and carefully.