How to Say "to scour" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to scour” is “peinar” — B2 level.
English → SpanishB2
verbB2
searching an area thoroughly

Examples
La policía peinó el bosque buscando al excursionista perdido.
The police scoured the forest looking for the lost hiker.
Peinaron toda la zona pero no encontraron nada.
They combed through the whole area but found nothing.
Los investigadores peinan los archivos en busca de pruebas.
Investigators are combing through the archives in search of evidence.
No 'se' needed here
When you search an area, you do not use the 'se' form. It is a direct action on the place.
Literal translation
Mistake: “Using 'buscar' exclusively.”
Correction: While 'buscar' means 'to look for', using 'peinar' makes you sound much more advanced when describing a very thorough search.
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