1. Clean with hard rubbing
   "She scrubbed his back";
   - scour
    
2. Wash thoroughly
   "surgeons must scrub prior to an operation";
   - scrub up
    
3. [informal] Postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled
   "we had to scrub our vacation plans";
   - cancel, call off, scratch, scrap
    
4. Remove digitally or magnetically recorded information
   "Who scrubbed the files from my hard disk?";
   - erase, delete, wipe

1. The act of cleaning a surface by rubbing it with a brush and soap and water
   "scrub the floor tiles restored their original shine";
   - scrubbing, scouring
    
2. Dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes
   "The California hillsides were covered in scrub, providing habitat for many species";
   - chaparral [N. Amer], bush

1. (of domestic animals) not selectively bred
   "The scrub cattle were hardier but less productive than purebred stock"

Derived forms: scrubbed, scrubs, scrubbing

See also: unimproved

Type of: botany, clean, cleaning, cleansing, cleanup, defer, fish out [informal], flora, hold over, lave, postpone, prorogue, put back, put off, put over, remit, rub, set back, shelve, table [N. Amer], take out, vegetation, wash

Encyclopedia: Scrub