English Explanatory Dictionary

scrub

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Mean; dirty; contemptible; scrubby.
noun
  1. A thicket or jungle, often specified by the name of the prevailing plant.
  2. Vegetation judged to be of inferior quality or of little use to humans, though sometimes thick and impenetrable, growing in poor soil or in sand; also, brush.
  3. One of the common livestock of a region of no particular breed or not of pure breed, especially when inferior in size, etc.; particularly a male animal poorly suited for breeding.
  4. One who labors hard and lives meanly.
  5. One who is incompetent or unable to complete easy tasks.
  6. One not on the first team of players; a substitute.
  7. A player who whines when outmatched by other players, sometimes by blaming the game mechanics or even accusing the other players of cheating.
verb
  1. To rub hard; to wash with rubbing; usually, to rub with a wet brush, or with something coarse or rough, for the purpose of cleaning or brightening
  2. To rub anything hard, especially with a wet brush; to scour
  3. To be diligent and penurious
  4. To call off a scheduled event; to cancel.
  5. To eliminate or to correct data from a set of records to bring it inline with other similar datasets
  6. To move a recording tape back and forth with a scrubbing motion to produce a scratching sound, or to do so by a similar use of a control on an editing system.
  7. To maneuver the play position on a media editing system by using a scroll bar or touch-based interface.
noun
  1. An instance of scrubbing.
  2. A cancellation.
  3. A worn-out brush.
  4. One who scrubs.
  5. That which scrubs.
  6. An exfoliant for the body.
  7. Clothing worn while performing surgery.
  8. Any medical uniform consisting of a short-sleeved shirt and pants (trousers).
  9. Informal attire or dress code; morning dress

Pronunciation

skrŭb /skɹʌb/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-scrub.wav /skɹʊb/

Word forms

scrub more scrub most scrub scrubs scrubbing scrubbed

Etymology

Late Middle English in the sense of "stunted tree," a variant of shrub, possibly under Old Norse influence.

Synonyms

seek surgical gown

Derived words

brigalow scrub Gum Scrub scrubbable scrub baseball scrub bird scrub board scrub brush scrubby scrub dasher scrub game scrub gun scrub hare scrub jay scrubland scrub oak scrub pine scrub race scrub rider scrub robin scrub turkey scrub turpentine scrub typhus scrub wallaby streaked scrub warbler trail ridge scrub grasshopper vine scrub Wormwood Scrubs scrubbed scrubber scrubbing scrub down scrub in scrub off scrub out scrub up bug scrub hand scrub scrub nurse

Translations

Bulgarian: дребосък Czech: zakrslík Russian: замо́рыш
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