a toothed strip of plastic, hard rubber, bone, wood, or metal, used for arranging the hair, untangling it, or holding it in place.

a currycomb.

any comblike instrument, object, or formation.

the fleshy, more or less serrated outgrowth on the head of certain gallinaceous birds, esp. the domestic fowl.

something resembling or suggesting this, as the crest of a wave.

a honeycomb, or any similar group of cells.

a machine for separating choice cotton or wool fibers from noil.

a comblike instrument for imparting a grainlike finish to a painted surface.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a ridge of a roof.

a series of springlike prongs projecting from a spine, usually of plastic, for making a loose-leaf binding.

a trowel having a notched edge for applying adhesives in setting tiles or the like.

Armor . a ridge along the top of a helmet, esp. of the morion.

Masonry . drag ( def. 30 ) .

the upper edge of the buttstock of a rifle or shotgun.

to arrange or adorn (the hair) with a comb.

to use (something) in the manner of a comb

She was slowly combing her fingers through her hair.

to remove (anything undesirable) with or as if with a comb

She combed the snarls out of her hair. They combed the cowards from the group.

to search everywhere in

He combed the files for the missing letter.

to separate (textile fibers) with a comb.

to scrape with or as with a comb.

to sweep across; rake

High winds combed the seacoast.

to roll over or break at the crest, as a wave.

verb

adjust , card , cleanse , curry , disentangle , dress , groom , hackle , hatchel , lay smooth , rasp , scrape , separate , smooth , sort , straighten , tease , untangle , beat , beat the bushes * , examine , finecomb , forage , go through with fine-tooth comb , grub , hunt , inspect , investigate , leave no stone unturned , look high and low , probe , rake , ransack , rummage , scour , screen , scrutinize , search high heaven , sift , sweep , turn inside out , turn upside down , brush , clean , search