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PlainSpell

scrub

/skɹʌb/noun, verb

scrub is spelled S-C-R-U-B: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scrub means “A thicket or jungle, often specified by the name of the prevailing plant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scrub is scrubs.

How many letters and syllables are in scrub?

Letters5: S-C-R-U-B
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing4.9 times per million words; the 11,373rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is scrub?

Scrub appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce scrub?

  • /skɹʌb/
  • /skɹʊb/

Scrub has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scrub.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of scrub

  • more scrub comparative
  • most scrub superlative
  • scrubs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • scrubbing participle, present
  • scrubbed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does scrub mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A thicket or jungle, often specified by the name of the prevailing plant.

    oak scrub

  2. 2

    Vegetation judged to be of inferior quality or of little use to humans, though sometimes thick and impenetrable, growing in poor soil or in sand; also, brush.

  3. 3

    USOne of the common livestock of a region of no particular breed or not of pure breed, especially when inferior in size, etc.; particularly a male animal poorly suited for breeding.

  4. 4

    derogatoryOne who labors hard and lives meanly.

  5. 5

    derogatoryslangOne who is incompetent or unable to complete easy tasks.

    Wow, she really scored 0? What a scrub!

  6. 6

    slangOne not on the first team of players; a substitute.

  7. 7

    derogatoryslangA player who whines when outmatched by other players, sometimes by blaming the game mechanics or even accusing the other players of cheating.

  8. 8

    An instance of scrubbing.

  9. 9

    A cancellation.

  10. 10

    A worn-out brush.

  11. 11

    One who scrubs.

  12. 12

    That which scrubs.

  13. 13

    An exfoliant for the body.

  14. 14

    Attributive form of scrubs (“clothing worn while performing surgery”). (a form of scrubs)

  15. 15

    Attributive form of scrubs (“any medical uniform consisting of a short-sleeved shirt and pants (trousers)”). (a form of scrubs)

verb

  1. 1

    To rub hard; to wash with rubbing; usually, to rub with a wet brush, sponge or with something coarse or rough, for the purpose of cleaning or brightening.

    to scrub a floor with a cleanser

  2. 2

    To rub anything vigorously, especially with a wet brush; to scour.

    She has been scrubbing for an hour, but the stain won't come out.

  3. 3

    Synonym of scrub in (“To thoroughly wash one's hands and forearms in preparation for performing a surgery”).

    The surgeon readied himself, dressing, scrubbing and checking his notes for the next patient.

  4. 4

    To be diligent and penurious.

    I've had to scrub hard for a living

  5. 5

    To eliminate or remove (something); to render (something) unretrievable.

    I will scrub the inefficiencies out of the system.

  6. 6

    To call off (a scheduled event); to cancel (something).

    Engineers had to scrub the satellite launch due to bad weather.

  7. 7

    To check data in invoices and other records in order to find, fix, document or otherwise handle anomalies, errors or omissions.

    Scrub the billing files.

  8. 8

    To study in great detail a contract or other agreement in order to identify and remove risks, liability or other issues.

adjective

  1. 1

    obsoleteMean; dirty; contemptible; scrubby.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Scrub in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanGestrüpp, Buschwerk (a thicket or jungle), scheuern, schrubben (to rub hard)
Frenchrécurer, frotter (to rub hard), broussaille (vegetation of inferior quality), annuler (to call off a scheduled event; to cancel)
Portugueseesfregar (to rub hard), mato, brenha (vegetation of inferior quality)
Spanishfregar, tallar, estregar, restregar (to rub hard), breña, maleza (vegetation of inferior quality)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does scrub come from?

Late Middle English shrobbe in the sense of "stunted tree," a variant of shrub, from Old English scrybb. Doublet of shrub.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after scrub