as in to beg
to persuade someone to give you (something) for free
He spent his time trying to cadge drinks from the customers. She cadged money from her sister.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cadge
Most reporters struggled to cadge a ride to the more distant fronts with the dirty soldiers who kept Franco’s forces at bay.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Schwarzenegger made a pilgrimage to Washington to cadge more money from the government, but came home empty-handed.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Ansa works in a Helsinki supermarket, collecting expired food and cadging the odd casserole for her dinner.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
One weekend, a colleague cadged a Chrysler minivan.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for cadge
Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Schwarzenegger made a pilgrimage to Washington to cadge more money from the government, but came home empty-handed.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Ansa works in a Helsinki supermarket, collecting expired food and cadging the odd casserole for her dinner.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
One weekend, a colleague cadged a Chrysler minivan.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for cadge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cadge
Verb
-
These questions linger as Ion goes about his day, looking for work, begging for change, and scarfing down a meal—moments that flash by in quick, propulsive blips.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
White denim absolutely begs for a smart partner underneath.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the mid-twentieth century, the US government experimented on poor Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, to understand the life-cycle of syphilis; the men were coerced into remaining in their study for decades despite the fact that the disease’s cure, penicillin, had been discovered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
-
And the folks for whom Live Nation is able to really coerce a lot of their economic opportunities, the venues that are afraid to get sideways with Live Nation.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The substitute also allows for the state to request a hardship waiver, something that was blocked under the original bill, from the community engagement requirements for counties with high unemployment, greater than 8% or one-and-a-half times higher than the national rate.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This session, the Legislature also passed House Bill 822, which requires schools and health care providers to inform a parent within 72 hours if a child requests to take steps to socially transition, which could include using pronouns or names that align with their gender identity.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ali, who wasn’t formally charged, called his family to say that he would be released on bail, and asked them to gather the funds and collect him from prison.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The Manteca Fire Department is taking action and trying to get ahead of this fire season by asking residents to reduce fire danger or face fines.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The repetition doesn’t conjure stasis so much as the struggle to find a way forward.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
-
No one saw that a device for making phone calls would conjure entirely new professions—UX designers, mobile platform engineers, social media managers, gig economy drivers—millions of jobs that had no name and no precedent.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On top of that, Nico is also, quite obviously, just mooching off/clinging to Mindy because he got cut off by his family.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
-
The Netflix rep says there is no correlation between this change and people mooching off other people's accounts.—
Boone Ashworth,
Wired News,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Consumer advocates said the findings support SB 1076, a bill that would require insurers to offer coverage to homeowners who meet state fire safety standards.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Others, such as Susan Braverman, also reported feeling stretched thin after being required to work in stressful conditions with higher-than-normal callout rates while not receiving compensation.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But unlike at some jungle retreats, which demand a certain ability to rough it, even the most spider-averse will feel at home here—kids in particular.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The family of a 33-year-old man killed in a car crash earlier this week is speaking out, demanding accountability for the driver who caused the fatal collision.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cadge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cadge. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
