comb

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a toothed instrument used especially for adjusting, cleaning, or confining hair
b
: a structure resembling such a comb
especially : any of several toothed devices used in handling or ordering textile fibers
c
2
a
: a fleshy crest on the head of the domestic chicken and other domestic birds
b
: something (such as the ridge of a roof) resembling the comb of a cock
3
combed adjective
comblike adjective

comb

2 of 3

verb

combed; combing; combs

transitive verb

1
: to draw a comb through for the purpose of arranging or cleaning
2
: to pass across with a scraping or raking action
3
a
: to eliminate (as with a comb) by a thorough going-over
b
: to search or examine systematically
police are combing the city
4
: to use in a combing action

intransitive verb

1
of a wave or its crest : to roll over or break into foam
2
: to make a thorough search
comb through the classified ads

comb

3 of 3

abbreviation

Examples of comb in a Sentence

Verb He combed back his hair. The wool is combed before being spun into yarn. We combed the beach for shells.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Unlike true jellyfish, comb jellies glide through the water, propelled by rows of fused, hair-like cilia called combs. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Other notable items, in addition to the piano, included a silver Tiffany mustache comb that sold for £152,000, or $192,500. Emma Reynolds, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 More than 16,700 customers have left the comb a five-star rating. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 Other Freebies: Shoe shine lotion and upon request, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, shaving cream and sewing kit are available. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Later Marley, despite the disapproval of his devoutly Christian mother, began to let his hair grow into serpentine dreadlocks in obedience to the Bible, which forbids males from touching scissors or comb to hair. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 Run a wide-tooth comb through your hair to evenly distribute the product and to work through any remaining knots. Caitie Kelly, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024 Similarly, a 40-year-old woman who lived during the second century C.E. was buried in a limestone sarcophagus in what is now Reims, France, with four oil lamps, a mirror, an amber ring, a comb and two glass vessels that may have once held scented oils. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 While researchers aren’t sure what the comb drawing represents exactly, the art could have helped people survive during the very dry time, Barberena tells the New York Times. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Verb
The online resource utilizes AI to comb through student responses and flag any alarming text, such as suicidal ideation or self-harm tendencies, to teachers and school counselors. Hannah Poukish, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 The museum will spend 2025 combing through the oral histories before turning to special projects such as reuniting friends who attended the festival together but now live in different parts of the country. Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 The project team combed over each piece of paper turned up during its search, sifting through handwritten family documents and letters, Darwin’s reading notebooks, his wife’s diaries and lists from scholars written a century ago. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024 Typically, each spring, Lora Sauls, Director of Creative Development and Show Direction for Art and Design, Entertainment at Universal Orlando, and a small team travel to New Orleans to comb through Kern Studios’ massive prop warehouse for ideas. USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024 Pace takes clear, infectious pleasure in such ephemeral moments, combing through bootlegs of live performances like an archivist looking for clues in a medieval manuscript. Owen Myers, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024 Her platinum blonde hair was parted to the side and combed back, while an intricate looped ponytail, styled at the nape of her neck, tumbled down her backless gray plissé halter gown by Maison Valentino. Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 26 Feb. 2024 If hair was long enough, it was combed back and neatly secured into the collars seen on the catwalk. Lauren Murdoch-Smith, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2024 Still, Walmart’s earnings commentary will be combed for clues about the consumer, and NVIDIA’s will be scrutinized for indications about the demand for artificial intelligence. Bill Stone, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English camb; akin to Old High German kamb comb, Greek gomphos tooth

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of comb was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near comb

Cite this Entry

“Comb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comb. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

comb

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a toothed implement used to smooth and arrange the hair or worn in the hair to hold it in place
b
: a toothed instrument used for separating fibers (as of wool or flax)
2
: a fleshy crest on the head of the domestic chicken and some related birds
3
combed adjective

comb

2 of 2 verb
1
: to smooth, arrange, or untangle with a comb
comb one's hair
comb wool
2
: to go over or through carefully in search of something or someone
we combed the beach for shells

More from Merriam-Webster on comb

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