mooch

verb

ˈmüch How to pronounce mooch (audio)
Definition of moochnext
1
as in to beg
to live by relying on someone else's generosity or hospitality without sharing in the cost or responsibility he's always mooching off of his friends, even though he can easily pay his own way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to sneak
to move about in a sly or secret manner I suspect she's mooching around in the background and keeping an eye on us

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to wander
to move about from place to place aimlessly kids on vacation mooching about the house and looking for something to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 mooch Parasites was the name given to those who arrived late to the party and mooched off the remains. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025 Rachel Morin's 'bum' killer mooched off locals before murdering mom of five, lawyer says. — FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Suleman also opened up about her financial insecurity in the early 2010s and how the media painted her to be mooching off the government. — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 8 Mar. 2025 Anyway, my friend and I were able to mooch a ride from him to that wonderful institution known as LAX, land of inconvenience, confusion, disdain and dirty bathrooms. — Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mooch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooch
  1. beg
  2. sneak
  3. wander
  4. freeload
  5. lurk
  6. roam
  7. steal
  8. stroll
Verb
  • In a yoga class, Hannah begs Tan France’s literary agent character to get her a meeting with Julia Fox’s Bianca Hart, who has an unpublished memoir in the works.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The lawsuit claims federal agents didn't call 911 for 30 minutes while her cellmate begged for help, saying Rahman woke up and opened her eyes in the hospital's emergency room.
    — Beret Leone, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of beg
Verb
  • Gonzalez answered later in the third quarter, making a 52-yard field goal that snuck through the bottom right corner of the goalposts.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Moog, one of the Australian creators of the popular Mighty Car Mods YouTube channel, sneaks into the top 40 with Shift.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • Lewa is teeming with reticulated giraffe, black and white rhino, Grevy’s zebra, leopard, cheetah, and lion, while elephants regularly wander through Sirikoi’s backyard.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Ahead of Halloween, the farm can easily see more than a thousand people a day stop by to pick up a pumpkin or wander through their massive corn maze.
    — Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of wander
Verb
  • However, no data center should be freeloading on my constituents in the form of higher electricity bills.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Scientists tracking humpbacks off the coast of Australia have captured rare footage that shows clutches of the freeloading fish peeling away from their host in what looks like a high-speed game of chicken, just moments before the whale breaches.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Definition of freeload
Verb
  • The series will explore whether the accusations made against Gough, a charismatic TO-7 officer known for a string of organized crime takedowns, is a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat lurking in the shadows.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Within each of these thrillers lurk so many shady husbands, brothers, bosses, and dads.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • In addition, famed baker and author Amirah Kassem has come on board as a roaming sideline reporter, bringing viewers real-time reactions from the bakers, their families and the audience.
    — Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The franchise began in 1997 as a relatively simple, top-down game that allowed players to roam fictional cities, steal vehicles, evade police and commit crimes.
    — Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of roam
Verb
  • Police also received one unconfirmed report that a Honda SUV was stolen using an OBD-2 port scanner, which involves plugging a device in under the dashboard and duplicating the key fob.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
  • In all sorts of ways, from the character of Baum’s music to the show-stealing sassy sidekicks, Wanted is channeling the Mouse House during its second golden age of animation, the era of Simba, Aladdin, and the muses of Hercules.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • Located near the funky Fish Lane, Southside is the spot for dumplings and siu mai after strolling the museums of South Bank.
    — Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Or, stroll through Jaipur with Shristi Vidya, who explores the city through the lens of the women who lived here centuries ago.
    — Shalbha Sarda, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of stroll

Browse Nearby Words

moo
mooch
mooched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooch. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All