comb | meaning of comb in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishDaily life, Hair & beauty, Animals, Insectscombcomb1 /kəʊm $ koʊm/ ●●● S3 noun    1 [countable]D a flat piece of plastic, metal etc with a row of thin teeth on one side, used for making your hair tidy2 [countable]DCB a small flat piece of plastic, metal etc with a row of thin teeth on one side, used for keeping your hair back or for decoration3 [singular]DCB if you give your hair a comb, you make it tidy using a comb  Your hair needs a good comb.4 [countable]HBA the red piece of flesh that grows on top of a male chicken’s head5 [countable]HBI a honeycomb → fine-tooth combExamples from the Corpuscomb• But the dances are normally performed on a comb in the hive where they hang vertically.• The mysterious tonic and the fine-tooth metal comb brought Walker incredible wealth.• But Jim was stunned, because he had sold his gold watch to buy Della the combs.• She barely noticed it at all as she stood for a few seconds in front of the mirror and pulled the comb through her hair.• The comb and tissue can be used to make a kazoo. 2.• Hair is in a stretched state when wet, a wide-tooth comb reduces breakage by gently passing through hair. Hair & beautycombcomb2 ●●● S3 verb [transitive]    1 DCBto make hair look tidy using a comb  Melanie ran upstairs to comb her hair. 2 LOOK FORto search a place thoroughlycomb something for somebody/something  Police are still combing the woods for the missing boy. → comb something ↔ out → comb through something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpuscomb• His blond hair was neatly combed.• It has no elasticity, is brittle and breaks easily when brushed or combed.• There was no way I could search the entire house, but I could certainly comb a couple of places.• Never before have we been so potent, not even in New York when we were combing nurses out of our hair.• She had not combed out her hair.• Tugboats and helicopters combed the area before the body was finally found.• Hours later, police were still combing the blood-smeared lobby for evidence.• Police and volunteers are combing the countryside in the hope of finding the missing boy.• Rescuers combed the hillsides but found no trace of the missing climbers.• The children combed the shoreline for shells.• Let him see the hand go through the hair, as if combing the wetness out.• Oh, yes, I comb their hair and, when I am finished, I sing to them.• After applying, comb through to ensure even distribution and leave for a minimum of three minutes.comb ... hair• Never brush your hair when wet; instead use a wide-tooth comb.• She eats another nut, and needlessly, absently, combs her hair.• They ate steak pudding with exceptional appetite and, when everything was cleared away, Melanie ran upstairs to comb her hair.• Still I used it to comb my hair and reset my tie.• He had just enough time to comb his hair before the doorbell sounded.• He wore his carefully combed wavy hair, dark brown with tinges of gray, rather long.• She was combing her hair, her face reflected in the mirror sheet of beaten gold.comb something for somebody/something• Police combed the forest for clues.Origin comb1 Old English camb