搜刮 (sōu guā) is a compound verb formed from 搜 (sōu), meaning 'to search thoroughly' or 'to comb through', and 刮 (guā), meaning 'to scrape' or 'to scrape off'. Together, they evoke the image of aggressively searching and then forcibly removing something — like scraping every last bit from a surface. The word carries strong negative connotations and implies illegitimate, coercive, or excessive extraction.

It is commonly used to describe corrupt officials extracting wealth from citizens, merchants overcharging or cheating customers, or even someone selfishly hoarding scarce resources during a crisis. While it can occasionally appear in hyperbolic or humorous contexts (e.g., '搜刮冰箱里剩下的零食'), its default register is formal or critical, often appearing in news reports, historical narratives, or moral commentary. It is not used for neutral or legitimate collection — for that, use terms like 收集 (shōu jí) or 采集 (cǎi jí).