[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/scrub/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [S](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/s/) / scrub

# scrub

verb (scrub, scrubs, scrubbed, scrubbing); noun (scrub — uncountable land; a scrub — a hard rub; scrubs — doctors' clothes)

«scrub» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To scrub means to clean something by rubbing it hard, often with a brush, soap and water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#m1)
2. Scrub is land covered with low bushes and small trees, with little grass. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#m2)
3. Scrubs are the loose, plain clothes that doctors and nurses wear in hospital. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#m3)
4. To scrub something (informal) means to cancel it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#m4)
5. A scrub is a quick wash in water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#m5)

### In the lessons

Everyday life and hygiene: scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap to wash off germs; scrub muddy knees, pots and floors. In geography and science, scrub (or scrubland, the Australian «bush» or «mallee scrub») is a habitat in dry places. Phrases: scrub your hands, scrub the floor, scrub brush, scrub up, scrubland.

### Examples

- Scrub your hands with soap for twenty seconds. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x1)
- Dad scrubbed the burnt pan until it shone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x2)
- I scrubbed the mud off my football boots. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x3)
- The path went through dry scrub full of lizards. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x4)
- Doctors scrub up before an operation. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x5)
- The nurse was wearing blue scrubs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x6)
- Give the potatoes a good scrub before cooking. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x7)
- Rain made them scrub the school trip. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x8)
- "My Father!" says the Prince; "let an old fellow of ours have a scrub first, just to try the bath-room." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/#x9)

### Note

Double b before -ed and -ing: scrubbed, scrubbing. «Scrub» (land) is uncountable. Scrubbing too hard can hurt skin; scrub well but gently. «Scrub up» means wash thoroughly, especially a surgeon's hands and arms.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «scrub» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scrub/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«scrub» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/scrub.html) on Mova free.