combing
/kəʊm/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈomɪŋ] /koʊm/ (ame, ipa)
combing — verb
- combingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- combings3rd person singular
- combinging-ing form
- combingedpast simple
1. to move a comb through your hair from the scalp toward the ends, making it smoot
to move a comb through your hair from the scalp toward the ends, making it smooth and tidy
Aaron sits in front of the mirror every morning and combs his thick black hair.
comb + noun phrase (hair): direct object pattern
After washing her long hair, Tara carefully combed out the knots with a wide-toothed comb.
comb out + knots (phrasal verb for removing tangles)
The barber combed the boy's hair and then parted it on the left side.
Kemi's daughter tried to comb her own hair, but it was still messy afterwards.
Naoko combed her wet hair with her fingers because she forgot her comb at home.
- tangle
to twist hair into knots, the opposite of making it smooth
文法句型
comb + noun phrase (hair)
comb + through + noun phrase
comb + out + noun phrase
用法筆記
The direct object is almost always 'hair' or a specific body part with hair (beard, eyebrows, fur). When the object is omitted, the understood meaning is still one's own hair: 'He washed and combed before breakfast.'
常見錯誤
2. to search every part of a place or collection with great care, looking for someo
to search every part of a place or collection with great care, looking for someone or something that is lost or missing
Police combed the forest for three days but found no trace of the missing child.
comb + [place] + for + [target]
Andrei combed through the old newspaper archives hoping to find a photo of his grandfather.
Search teams combed the beach with flashlights after the girl disappeared at sunset.
The librarian combed every shelf, hunting for a rare book a student had misplaced.
- overlook
to fail to notice something while searching, the opposite of a thorough combing
文法句型
comb + noun phrase (area)
comb + through + noun phrase
comb + noun phrase + for + target
用法筆記
The object is usually a large physical area (forest, beach, building, neighbourhood) or a systematic set of records (documents, archives, data). Frequently used in journalism and police reports. Not used for quick or casual searching.
常見錯誤
combing — noun
1. a raised border around an opening on a ship's deck, especially around a hatch, t
a raised border around an opening on a ship's deck, especially around a hatch, that stops water from flowing into the area below
The crew painted the steel combing around the main hatch to stop it from rusting.
the combing + around + [specific hatch]
During the storm, waves crashed against the combing but the cargo hold stayed dry below.
The sailor sat on the metal combing and looked out across the grey ocean.
Each hatch on the fishing boat has a metal combing that rises above the deck.
- coaming
the more common spelling variant; 'combing' and 'coaming' are used interchangeably in maritime English
文法句型
the combing + of + a hatch
combing + around + opening
用法筆記
This is a technical term from shipbuilding and seamanship. It is almost never used outside of maritime, naval, or fishing contexts. A common alternative spelling is 'coaming'.