scrub: Meaning and Definition of

scrub

Pronunciation: (skrub), [key]
— v., n. scrubbed, scrub•bing,
—v.t.
  1. to rub hard with a brush, cloth, etc., or against a rough surface in washing.
  2. to subject to friction; rub.
  3. to remove (dirt, grime, etc.) from something by hard rubbing while washing.
  4. to remove (impurities or undesirable components) from a gas by chemical means, as sulfur dioxide from smokestack gas or carbon dioxide from exhaled air in life-support packs.
  5. to cancel or postpone (a space flight or part of a mission): Ground control scrubbed the spacewalk.
  6. to do away with; cancel: Scrub your vacation plans--there's work to do!
—v.i.
  1. to cleanse something by hard rubbing.
  2. to cleanse one's hands and arms as a preparation to performing or assisting in surgery (often fol. by up).
—n.
  1. an act or instance of scrubbing.
  2. a canceled or postponed space flight, launching, scheduled part of a space mission, etc.
  3. something, as a cosmetic preparation, used for scrubbing.

scrub

Pronunciation: (skrub), [key]
— n.
  1. low trees or shrubs collectively.
  2. a large area covered with low trees and shrubs, as the Australian bush.
  3. a domestic animal of mixed or inferior breeding; mongrel.
  4. a small or insignificant person.
  5. anything undersized or inferior.
  6. a player not belonging to the varsity or regular team; a player who is not first-string.
—adj.
  1. small, undersized, or stunted.
  2. inferior or insignificant.
  3. abounding in or covered with low trees and shrubs: They rode through scrub country.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: