scrub

comparative more scrub · superlative most scrub

1. obsoleteMean; dirty; contemptible; scrubby.

   How solitary, how scrub, does this town look!

   1743, Horace Walpole, letter to Sir Horace Mann

   1 more example

   No little scrub joint shall come on my board.

   1729, Jonathan Swift, The Grand Question Debated of Hamilton's Bawn

plural scrubs

1. uncountableA thicket or jungle, often specified by the name of the prevailing plant.

   oak scrub

   1 more example

   I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

   1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

2. uncountableVegetation 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. UScountablestock breedingOne 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. countablederogatoryOne who labors hard and lives meanly.

   A sorry scrub, said Mr. High-mind.

   1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress

   2 more examples

   We should go there in as proper a manner possible; nor altogether like the scrubs about us.

   1766, Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield

   I daresay we can find one of those devoted, hard-working little scrubs who are glad to come for nothing and live on the table leavings.

   1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London

5. countablederogatoryslangOne who is incompetent or unable to complete easy tasks.

   Wow, she really scored 0? What a scrub!

   2 more examples

   A scrub is a guy that thinks he's fly And is also known as a buster Always talkin' about what he wants And just sits on his broke ass […]

   1999 February 2, TLC, “No Scrubs”

   You triflin', good-for-nothin' type of brother Silly me, why haven't I found another? A baller, when times get hard I need someone to help me out Instead of a scrub like you who don't know what a man's about

   1999 May 31, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, Kevin Briggs, Kandi Burruss, “Bills, Bills, Bills”, in The Writing's on the Wall, performed by Destiny's Child, track 3

6. countableslanghobbiesOne not on the first team of players; a substitute.
7. InternetcountablederogatoryslanggamesA player who whines when outmatched by other players, sometimes by blaming the game mechanics or even accusing the other players of cheating.

present singular third person scrubs · participle present scrubbing · participle past scrubbed · past scrubbed

1. transitiveTo rub hard; to wash with rubbing; usually, to rub with a wet brush, sponge or with something coarse or rough, for the purpose of cleaning or brightening.

   to scrub your fingernails

   3 more examples

   to scrub a floor with a cleanser

   to scrub the walls with a sponge

   For this purpose it was scrubbed with cotton wool dipped in a strong solution of caustic potash, then washed down with water, scrubbed again with cotton wool and absolute alcohol, and after another washing with water, thoroughly scrubbed with cotton wool and strong nitric acid.

   1892, Royal Astronomical Society, Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, volumes 50-51, Blackwell Scientific, page 162

   Synonyms: clean, rub, scour, wash

   1. intransitivetransitiveTo rub anything vigorously, especially with a wet brush; to scour.

      She has been scrubbing for an hour, but the stain won't come out.

      Synonyms: clean, rub, scour, wash

   2. intransitivetransitiveSynonym of scrub in (“To thoroughly wash one's hands and forearms in preparation for performing a surgery”).

      The surgeon readied himself, dressing, scrubbing and checking his notes for the next patient.

      Synonyms: clean, rub, scour, wash, scrub in

   3. figurativelyintransitivetransitiveTo be diligent and penurious.

      I've had to scrub hard for a living

      Synonyms: clean, rub, scour, wash

2. transitiveTo eliminate or remove (something); to render (something) unretrievable.

   We scrubbed the low performers from the team.

   2 more examples

   I will scrub the inefficiencies out of the system.

   It's impossible to scrub data from the internet.

   1. transitiveTo call off (a scheduled event); to cancel (something).

      The project has been scrubbed in the latest budget.

      1 more example

      Engineers had to scrub the satellite launch due to bad weather.

   2. transitiveauditingbusinessTo check data in invoices and other records in order to find, fix, document or otherwise handle anomalies, errors or omissions.

      Scrub the billing files.

   3. transitivelawTo study in great detail a contract or other agreement in order to identify and remove risks, liability or other issues.
   4. transitivecomputingTo eliminate or correct (data) from a set of records to bring it inline with other similar datasets.

      The street segment data from the National Post Office will need to be scrubbed before it can be integrated into our system.

   5. transitiveTo remove unflattering or unhelpful information from (something).

      She's scrubbing her social media accounts before the background check begins.

   6. transitivechemistryTo remove impurities from a gas or vapor.

      The gas passed through towers T1 and T2 in series and was scrubbed counter-currently with dilute H2SO4 to recover ammonia.

      1932 January, Floyd B. Hobart and D. J. Demorest, Bulletin, numbers 57-69, Engineering Experiment Station of the Ohio State University, page 11

3. To move or manipulate (something) with an action analogous to scrubbing.

   scrub the ground (dance move)

   1. gamesTo play a video game without skills; to button mash.
   2. mediaTo 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.
   3. mediaTo maneuver the play position on a media editing system by using a scroll bar or touch-based interface.

      Synonyms: seek

   4. equestrianismTo move the arms alongside a horse's head in sync with its stride, as to urge it forward.
   5. intransitivedrivingTo shudder when taking tight turns or hitting bumps due to wheel misalignment, cold weather or problems with the suspension.

      The greater the height of the pavement edge, the more likely the tire is to scrub along the edge. The smaller the tread and sidewall heights of the tire, the more likely the tire is to scrub.

      2022, Nathan Rose, Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction, SAE International, page 168

   6. transitivehobbiesSynonym of scrub in (“To break in new racing tires by doing a few gentle laps on them.”)

      Synonyms: scrub in

   7. transitiveTo ride so as to lean horizontally when ascending a slope in order to jump the dirtbike.

plural scrubs

1. An instance of scrubbing.
2. A cancellation.

   Unacceptable winds aloft caused four scrubs and one hold; adverse weather caused a scrub; […]

   1988, AIAA 26th Aerospace Sciences Meeting: January 11-14

3. A worn-out brush.

   A scrub [broom worn out] Scopa detrita.

   1752, Robert Ainsworth, Thesaurus Linguae Latinae Compendiarius

4. One who scrubs.
5. That which scrubs.
   1. An exfoliant for the body.
6. attributivemedicineAttributive form of scrubs (“clothing worn while performing surgery”).
7. attributivebroadlyAttributive form of scrubs (“any medical uniform consisting of a short-sleeved shirt and pants (trousers)”).
8. obsoleteslangInformal attire or dress code; morning dress.

   For one of Lucia's quaint ideas was to divide dresses into three classes, "Hightum," "Tightum" and "Scrub."

   1920, E. F. Benson, Queen Lucia

   1 more example

   The third, which was as homely as its name, and which she reserved for scouring the country and such like rough usage in quite private rural life, was her "Scrub."

   1876, “Hightum, Titum, and Scrub!”, in The Leisure Hour