scouring
Definitions
The act of cleaning or brightening a surface by rubbing it hard with an abrasive material.
The process of searching thoroughly and rapidly through a place or area to find something.
The erosion of a riverbed or seabed caused by the action of fast-moving water.
Examples
She spent the entire afternoon scouring the old archives for information about her ancestors.
After the dinner party, he was scouring the burnt pans to get them clean again.
Synonyms
scrubbing cleansing polishing searching raking combing sweeping