scavenge

verb

scav·​enge ˈska-vənj 

-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

One day, after scavenging a trunk full of bananas threatening to go mushy, Tubbs drove them over to Food Not Bombs, an anti-capitalist soup kitchen founded upon the anarchist principle of mutual aid. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Some irregular food items such as chicken and pig were also detected in the samples, suggesting that wolves are also scavenging from human waste disposal sites. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

The study also has no way to show how much of the wolves’ cattle consumption came from scavenging the carcasses of dead animals, Weiss said. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

The hobbits wouldn’t have been at risk of venom poisoning while scavenging because Komodo dragon venom contains proteins that stomach enzymes would break down, according to the study. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from scavenger

First Known Use

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

Kids Definition

scavenge

verb

scav·​enge ˈskav-ənj 

-inj

scavenged; scavenging

: to collect usable things from what has been discarded