scavenge

verb

scav·​enge ˈska-vənj How to pronounce scavenge (audio)
-vinj
scavenged; scavenging

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to remove (dirt, refuse, etc.) from an area
(2)
: to clean away dirt or refuse from : cleanse
scavenge a street
b
: to feed on (carrion or refuse)
2
a
: to remove (burned gases) from the cylinder of an internal combustion engine after a working stroke
b
: to remove (something, such as an undesirable constituent) from a substance or region by chemical or physical means
c
: to clean and purify (molten metal) by taking up foreign elements in chemical union
3
: to salvage from discarded or refuse material
also : to salvage usable material from

intransitive verb

: to work or act as a scavenger

Examples of scavenge in a Sentence

Rats scavenged in the trash. The bears scavenged the woods for food. He scavenged the town dump for automobile parts.
Recent Examples on the Web Carlton took a similarly D.I.Y. approach to his drums, scavenging old buckets and tin plates for his kit. Clay Risen, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024 Over the past decade, the technology has helped scientists better understand how sharks hunt and scavenge around whales, interact with each other, and prey on seals, according to a 2021 study. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 There were the pelts of small mammals and birds that hung in our garage — and from which my dad scavenged to make fishing flies. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Just scavenging energy isn’t enough, according to Leeb’s research. IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2024 Biologists have widely accepted that seals, sea otters, and other marine species comprise much of a coastal gray wolf’s diet, but evidence that wolves actively hunt these critters (rather than just scavenging them) hasn’t surfaced until now. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023 If such wounds show signs of having healed, they were likely made by predators attacking live prey, not scavenging on carcasses, although the animals did plenty of both. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2023 An alternative is finding ways to scavenge energy from the devices’ environment, including the large amount of waste heat generated by machines and electronics. IEEE Spectrum, 18 Jan. 2024 Different types of organisms are likely to have fossilized in different types of environments, but the most crucial aspect of fossilization is a quick burial in a place where the organism is least likely to be scavenged, according to Gibson. Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scavenge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from scavenger

First Known Use

circa 1644, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of scavenge was circa 1644

Dictionary Entries Near scavenge

Cite this Entry

“Scavenge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scavenge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scavenge

verb
scav·​enge ˈskav-ənj How to pronounce scavenge (audio)
-inj
scavenged; scavenging
: to collect usable things from what has been discarded

More from Merriam-Webster on scavenge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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