comb
gb/kˈoʊm/ us/kˈoʊm/
A1
English
~ 9300
fésű, fésül, átfésül, taréj, lép, méhlép
NOUN
A1
1
fésű
A2
Usage pattern:
a comb for [hair]
She pulled a comb out of her bag and quickly fixed her hair.
Elővett egy fésűt a táskájából, és gyorsan megigazította a haját.
Use a wide-tooth comb on wet hair to avoid breakage.
Vizes hajon használj ritka fogú fésűt, hogy ne töredezzen a hajad.
The barber ran a comb through his hair before cutting it.
Learner examples
I need a comb to make my hair neat.
Szükségem van egy fésűre, hogy rendbe tegyem a hajam.
He looked in the mirror and used a comb.
Belenézett a tükörbe, és fésűvel megigazította a haját.
There is a comb on the bathroom sink.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes pronounce the final 'b' in 'comb'. It is silent: /koʊm/, not */koʊmb/. They may also confuse a 'comb' with a 'brush'; a comb is usually flatter with teeth, while a brush has many small bristles.
Meaning
toothed tool for hair
Collocations
hair comb
|wide-tooth comb
|fine-tooth comb
|plastic comb
|run a comb through [your hair]
Synonyms
hairbrush (Similar tool, but usually larger, with bristles instead of teeth; more common for brushing than detailed styling.)
Antonyms
tangle (Refers to knotted hair, the condition a comb is often used to remove.)
Themes
daily life
|personal care
|appearance
|daily_life
|body
Definition
A small tool with teeth that you use to make your hair neat.
A small, usually flat tool with a row of teeth, used to arrange, clean, or style hair.
VERB
A2
2
fésül
A2
Usage pattern:
to comb [someone's] hair
Please comb your hair before we leave.
Kérlek, fésüld meg a hajad, mielőtt elindulunk.
She gently combed the child’s hair after his bath.
Fürdés után óvatosan megfésülte a kisfiú haját.
He combed his hair back away from his face.
Learner examples
I comb my hair every morning.
Minden reggel megfésülöm a hajam.
She combed her son’s hair for school.
Iskola előtt megfésülte a fia haját.
He forgot to comb his hair and it looked messy.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I brush with a comb"*. Use 'comb' as a verb: "I comb my hair." Also, remember the silent 'b' in pronunciation: /koʊm/.
Meaning
arrange hair with a comb
Collocations
comb your hair
|comb it out
|carefully comb
|comb her long hair
Synonyms
brush (General word for using a hairbrush; 'comb' suggests more precise arranging or removing tangles with a toothed tool.)
Antonyms
mess up (To make hair untidy, the opposite of what combing normally does.)
Themes
daily life
|personal care
|appearance
|daily_life
|body
Definition
To move a comb through hair to make it neat or smooth.
To use a comb to make hair neat, remove tangles, or create a particular style.
VERB
B2
3
átfésül
B2
Usage pattern:
to comb [something] for [someone/something]
Police combed the area for clues after the incident.
Az eset után a rendőrség nyomok után kutatva átfésülte a területet.
Researchers combed through thousands of records to find the data they needed.
A kutatók több ezer feljegyzést fésültek át, hogy megtalálják a szükséges adatokat.
She spent hours combing the internet for cheap flights.
Learner examples
The police combed the park for the lost child.
Az eltűnt gyerek után kutatva a rendőrség átfésülte a parkot.
I combed through my emails to find your message.
Átfésültem az e-mailjeimet, hogy megtaláljam az üzenetedet.
Volunteers combed the beach to pick up trash.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the basic hair meaning and say *"comb for"* without an object. Use an object: "comb the area," "comb through the files." 'Comb through' is very common when talking about documents or data.
Meaning
search something very thoroughly
Collocations
comb the area
|comb through documents
|combed the beach
|combed the records
|combed the crowd
Synonyms
search (More general; 'comb' emphasizes a very careful, detailed search where little is missed.)
Antonyms
overlook (To fail to notice something, the opposite of searching thoroughly.)
Themes
work
|crime
|study
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Definition
To look through a place or many things very carefully to find something.
To search something extremely carefully and in detail, often over an area or through a large amount of information.
NOUN
B2
4
taréj
B1
The rooster’s comb turned a deep red as it matured.
Ahogy a kakas felnőtt, a taréja mélyvörösre változott.
Farmers can sometimes tell a chicken’s health by looking at its comb.
A gazdák néha a tyúk taréjából is meg tudják ítélni az állat egészségi állapotát.
This breed has a very large and upright comb.
Learner examples
The chicken has a red comb on its head.
A tyúk fején piros taréj van.
That rooster’s comb is very big.
Annak a kakasnak nagyon nagy a taréja.
The bird’s comb became pale when it was sick.
Meaning
fleshy crest on a bird’s head
Collocations
bright red comb
|rooster’s comb
|large comb
|single comb
Synonyms
crest (A more general word for the top part or decoration on a bird’s head; 'comb' is specific to chickens and similar birds.)
Themes
animals
|nature
|body
Definition
The soft, red part on top of a chicken’s head that looks like a crown.
The soft, often red, fleshy crest on top of the head of a chicken, rooster, or similar bird.
NOUN
B2
TECHNICAL
5
The beekeeper inspected each comb for signs of disease.
A méhész minden lépet megvizsgált, hogy nem mutatkoznak-e rajta betegség jelei.
Old comb in the hive was replaced with fresh foundation.
A kaptárban lévő régi lépet friss műlépre cserélték.
Bees had filled the comb with honey by late summer.
Learner examples
Bees make comb in the hive.
A méhek lépet építenek a kaptárban.
The comb is full of sweet honey.
A lép tele van édes mézzel.
They cut the comb and sold it as honeycomb.
Common mistake:
Outside of beekeeping, most people say 'honeycomb' rather than 'comb', so learners might not recognize that beekeepers often shorten it to 'comb'.
Meaning
wax cell structure made by bees
Collocations
bee comb
|brood comb
|drawn comb
|empty comb
|comb foundation
Synonyms
honeycomb (Common everyday term; in beekeeping, 'comb' often refers to the wax structure whether or not it contains honey.)
Themes
nature
|science
|food
|animals
Definition
The wax wall with many small rooms that bees make in a hive to keep honey and baby bees.
The wax structure made of many connected cells that bees build inside a hive to store honey, pollen, and brood.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
6
fésű
C1
The fibers pass through a comb before spinning.
A szálak fonás előtt egy fésűn haladnak át.
A broken comb in the machine caused the line to stop.
A gépben eltört fésű miatt leállt a gyártósor.
Technicians replaced the worn combs to improve the quality of the yarn.
Learner examples
The machine uses a comb to clean the fibers.
A gép egy fésűvel tisztítja meg a szálakat.
A metal comb in the machine moves the threads.
A gépben egy fémfésű mozgatja a szálakat.
Workers changed the old comb in the textile machine.
Meaning
toothed machine part for fibers
Collocations
metal comb
|carding comb
|textile comb
|wire comb
Synonyms
card (In textiles, a 'card' or 'carding machine' uses comb-like parts; 'comb' is the toothed part itself.)
Themes
technology
|manufacturing
|work
Definition
A part of a machine with many teeth that helps to clean or order fibers or other long, thin things.
A component of a machine that has a row of teeth and is used to separate, clean, or arrange fibers or other materials.
Grammar
Dictionary form
comb
IPA
GB/kˈoʊm/
US/kˈoʊm/
Syllables & stress
comb (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (comb)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: comb
- Plural: combs
Verb
- Base: comb
- 3rd Person Singular: combs
- Present Participle: combing
- Past: combed
Word family
Forms
combs
noun
combing
verb
combed
verb
Negative and opposite forms
uncombed
adjective
Expressions
comb back
1/kˈoʊm bˈæk/
phrasal verb
style hair by combing it back
To make a hairstyle by moving a comb so the hair goes back away from the face.
Examples
- He combed back his hair before the interview.
- Her hair was combed back and held with a clip.
comb out
1/kˈoʊm ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
remove tangles using a comb
To use a comb to take out knots, tangles, or loose hair or fibers.
Examples
- She used conditioner to help comb out the knots in her hair.
- The stylist carefully combed out the curls before cutting.
comb over
1/kˈoʊm ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
cover bald spot with hair
To style your hair by moving longer hair over a part of your head where there is little or no hair.
Examples
- He tried to comb over his thinning hair.
- The stylist advised him not to comb over the bald patch.
comb through
1/kˈoʊm θɹˈu/
phrasal verb
search something very carefully
To look very carefully through many things, details, or information to find what you want.
Examples
- Investigators combed through hundreds of pages of financial records.
- I spent the afternoon combing through old photos for our presentation.
with a fine-tooth comb
1/wˈɪθ ə fˈaɪn tˈuθ kˈoʊm/
idiom
very closely and carefully
In a very careful and detailed way, so that you do not miss anything.
Examples
- Lawyers went over the contract with a fine-tooth comb.
- The report was checked with a fine-tooth comb before publication.