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

The main thing is to scan, scavenge, and hoard scrap. —Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Some lucky survivors took refuge in various underground vaults; others were left to scavenge a meager existence on the highly radioactive surface. —ArsTechnica, 19 Aug. 2025

While juvenile white sharks mainly eat bottom fish, smaller sharks and rays, and schooling fish and squids, larger white sharks feed on seal and sea lion colonies and occasionally scavenge dead whales. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025

Families are left to scavenge while their children wither from hunger. —Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

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