comb

comb — noun

1. A flat grooming tool with thin pointed parts (teeth) along one edge, used to kee

1.nounA2
Definition

A flat grooming tool with thin pointed parts (teeth) along one edge, used to keep the hair smooth and tidy.

Example

Leila borrowed her sister's comb before the job interview.

countable noun: a comb

A wide-toothed comb works best for untangling curly hair.

compound modifier: wide-toothed comb

Common collocations
  • fine-toothed comb
  • wide-toothed comb
  • run a comb through something
  • comb your hair
Synonyms
  • brush

    A brush has bristles rather than teeth and is used differently — for detangling or styling

  • pick

    A pick has wide-spaced teeth and is used mainly for Afro-textured or thick hair

2. A small decorative comb that is placed in the hair to hold it back from the face

2.nounB1
Definition

A small decorative comb that is placed in the hair to hold it back from the face or to add ornament.

Example

Yara wore a silver comb to keep her braids in place at the wedding.

decorative accessory: silver comb

The antique comb on her dressing table was decorated with tiny blue stones.

Common collocations
  • decorative comb
  • silver comb
  • hair comb
Synonyms
  • hair clip

    A hair clip uses a spring or clasp to hold hair, while a decorative comb slides in without a clasp

  • barrette

    A barrette is a specific type of hair clip with a clasp, not a comb-shaped accessory

Usage Note

This sense overlaps with sense 1 when the comb is worn as decoration. The difference is that sense 1 emphasises the grooming function, while sense 2 emphasises appearance and ornament.

3. The red fleshy part that sits above the beak on chickens and birds of a similar

3.nounC1
Definition

The red fleshy part that sits above the beak on chickens and birds of a similar type.

Example

The rooster's red comb stood out sharply against his white feathers.

body part of a bird: rooster's comb

Kofi noticed that the hen's comb was pale, so he called the vet immediately.

Common collocations
  • red comb
  • rooster's comb
  • pale comb
Synonyms
  • cockscomb

    Specifically refers to the comb of a rooster, though it is sometimes used for any fowl's comb

  • crest

    A broader term that can include feather tufts, not just the fleshy red part

Usage Note

Sometimes called a cockscomb. The comb is larger and brighter in male birds (roosters) and is used to attract mates.

Common Mistakes

The chicken has a red comb on its beak.
The chicken has a red comb on its head.
The comb sits on top of the head, not on the beak.

4. A block of six-sided wax cells that bees build inside their hive to hold honey a

4.nounB2
Definition

A block of six-sided wax cells that bees build inside their hive to hold honey and raise their young.

Example

The beekeeper gently lifted a piece of honeycomb from the wooden frame.

countable: a piece of honeycomb

Bees fill each cell of the honeycomb with nectar collected from flowers.

Common collocations
  • honeycomb structure
  • piece of honeycomb
  • honeycomb pattern
Synonyms
  • honeycomb

    The full form; comb is an abbreviation used among beekeepers

  • beeswax structure

    A descriptive phrase rather than a direct synonym, used to clarify the material

Usage Note

Often shortened to just comb in beekeeping contexts ('the bees filled the comb with honey'). Do not confuse with the headword's main grooming sense.

Common Mistakes

Bees make honeycomb from wood.
Bees make honeycomb from wax that they produce in their bodies.
Honeycomb is made of beeswax, not wood.
Idioms

comb — verb

Word family

  • combed
    verbB1
  • combing
    verbB1
  • comber
    nounC1
  • honeycomb
    nounB2
  • uncombed
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

These words all involve looking for something, but they differ in method and intensity. Comb suggests a slow, systematic search where every part is checked — like running a comb through hair. Scour is more forceful: you might scour a pot with a scrubber or scour a whole city block. Scan is faster and more superficial — you scan a page for a name, but you comb a library for a rare book. Sift through focuses on sorting a collection rather than covering an area: you sift through a pile of papers but comb a field. Search is the general term and can replace any of the others, but it lacks the methodical, one-by-one feel that comb gives. For example: 'The police searched the park' tells us they looked, but 'The police combed the park' tells us they went over every inch.

scourscan ↗sift through ↗search ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • fine-toothed comb
  • run a comb through
  • comb every inch of

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Comb comes from Old English camb, which traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *kambaz. This ancient word is connected to Latin gemma (a bud or tooth) and Greek gómphos (a peg or tooth), all pointing back to the idea of a toothed object. The honeycomb meaning developed because the hexagonal wax cells were seen as resembling the teeth of a hair comb. By the 1500s, comb was already used as a verb meaning both 'to groom with a comb' and 'to search thoroughly.'