comb through

verb

To examine scrupulously.

“Near-synonym: pore over”

Similar
fine-tooth combpore over
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Meanings

verbcomb through (third-person singular simple present combs through, present participle combing through, simple past and past participle combed through)

present singular third person combs through · participle present combing through · participle past combed through · past combed through

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo examine scrupulously.

    Near-synonym: pore over

    1 more example

    Israeli soldiers who combed slowly through the village on Tuesday warned visiting journalists to stay out of homes that had not been cleared, warning they could be booby-trapped with explosives.

    2023 October 11, Emma Graham-Harrison, “Hamas gunmen ‘killed families in their beds’ at Kfar Aza kibbutz, say Israeli forces”, in The Guardian

    Synonyms: fine-tooth comb, pore over

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo examine scrupulously.

Similar
fine-tooth combpore over
Also see
fine-tooth combrake
Cite this entry
APA

comb through. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comb%20through

MLA

“comb through.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comb%20through. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “comb through,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comb%20through.

Source: comb through on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.