combed through

Meanings

1. 1phrasephrasal verb

   Searched carefully through a large amount of material or an area, checking every part.

   Grammar: Takes an object after through: she combed through the records.

   Patterns

   • combed through something
   • combed through something for something

   Detectives combed through the footage for any sign of the car.

   She combed through the contract looking for hidden fees.

   Volunteers combed through the field after the storm.

2. 2phrasephrasal verb

   Ran a comb through hair to straighten it or remove tangles.

   Grammar: Literal use: combed through her hair.

   Patterns

   • combed through someone's hair

   He combed through his wet hair before the interview.

   She combed through the knots in the dog's fur.

   The stylist gently combed through the child's curls.

Word forms

Common combinations

combed through the records

Auditors combed through the records for errors.

combed through the evidence

The lawyer combed through the evidence overnight.

combed through the data

Analysts combed through the data to find patterns.

combed through the area

Police combed through the area on foot.

Synonyms and how they differ

searched

Searched is general, while combed through stresses thoroughness across many items.

scoured

Scoured suggests an energetic and widespread search, with a stronger sense of effort.

sifted through

Sifted through focuses on separating useful items from useless ones.

Opposites

Word family

comb noun

a toothed tool for hair

comb verb

to search thoroughly or tidy hair

combing noun

the act of searching or tidying

Commonly confused: combed through or combined?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “combed through”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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