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

Grizzlies tend to be opportunistic, but investigators concluded this wasn’t scavenging. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025

People are going around scavenging from construction sites and breaking apart wood pallets from ships that deliver food. —Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 10 Apr. 2025

Scientifically known as Otodus megalodon, the Neogene-era shark is estimated to have reached lengths of 50 to 65 feet (15 to 20 meters) and once belonged to a lineage of sharks that evolved during the Cenozoic era, becoming increasingly specialized for preying on and scavenging marine mammals. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

Previous excavations have found evidence that a mammoth was killed or scavenged at the site, according to a statement from the University of Wyoming. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024

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