mooched; mooching; mooches
1
intransitive
: to move slowly or apathetically : to wander aimlessly
… the rainy afternoons … spent mooching up and down the aisles of small-town pharmacies and hardware stores.—
Frederick Busch
Frederick Busch2
transitive + intransitive
: to get things from another or live off the generosity of others without providing any return payment or benefit : sponge
trying to mooch a cigarette
mooching money off her brother
has been mooching off his parents for years
plural mooches
US, informal
: one who mooches off others : moocher
The last thing he needed was another mooch … trying to sap his energy and take his time …—Steve Pond
Steve PondExamples of mooch in a Sentence
Verb
he's always mooching off of his friends, even though he can easily pay his own way
I suspect she's mooching around in the background and keeping an eye on us.
Recent Examples on the Web
John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Rachel Morin's 'bum' killer mooched off locals before murdering mom of five, lawyer says.
—FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 30 June 2023
Harry recalls a particularly tense Christmas at Sandringham, marred by bitterness over the Court Circular — the annual record of the royal family’s official engagements, which inspired the press to draw conclusions each year about who was a lazy mooch and who was a workhorse.
—Meredith Blakestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for mooch
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Verb
Parasites was the name given to those who arrived late to the party and mooched off the remains.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Rachel Morin's 'bum' killer mooched off locals before murdering mom of five, lawyer says.
—FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
Some mooch for social gain, others for intellectual stimulation.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 30 June 2023
Harry recalls a particularly tense Christmas at Sandringham, marred by bitterness over the Court Circular — the annual record of the royal family’s official engagements, which inspired the press to draw conclusions each year about who was a lazy mooch and who was a workhorse.
—Meredith Blakestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for mooch
Cite this Entry
“Mooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mooch. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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