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

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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 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 China’s Silicon Valley–slayer may have mooched off Silicon Valley after all. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025 Her family wants to mooch off her success while also criticizing her success. — Lydia Patrick, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 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
  • At one point on the open sea, a smaller raft that had started to leak floated over, and a mother begged them to take her ten-year-old son.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • The event begged to be examined in its longitudinal fullness.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of beg
Verb
  • With that, though, will come more possession and more opportunities for France to sneak a goal in at some point.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
  • Argentina will be heavy favorite against a Switzerland team that reached the quarterfinals after narrowly sneaking past Colombia in a penalty shootout last time out.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • The Argentine black and white tegu, a South American native that can grow to nearly five feet long, has been seen wandering in Altamonte Springs and Geneva as well as further east near Cocoa and Melbourne, according to iNaturalist posts and FWC.
    — Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2026
  • But on a shady patch under a sprawling river birch, ten teens who had wandered over from Stuyvesant High School assemble themselves into breakout groups to discuss Zohran Mamdani’s recently released housing proposal.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 13 July 2026
Definition of wander
Verb
  • 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
  • The specter of freeloading corporations using more space, water, and energy for AI processing has defined the race for the 30th House of Delegates district, well outside DC.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Definition of freeload
Verb
  • The key to making all of this work is really Deutch, who knows how to lace an all-American sweetness with a sense of anarchy lurking right below the surface.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026
  • After this second surgery and worm discovery, his doctors put him on anti-parasitic medication to kill off any possible remaining worms lurking in him.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • Fair Oaks’ famous chickens roam the property, pecking up shreds of lettuce that inevitably fall from the sandwiches.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • Try to put your kid in the window seat with you on the aisle so the little darling can’t escape and roam the plane without you.
    — Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 15 July 2026
Definition of roam
Verb
  • Henderson, who was identified by witnesses as a former employee of the restaurant, is accused of serving as Child’s getaway driver, using a maroon pickup that was recently reported stolen in Canyon County, police said.
    — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 17 July 2026
  • He was expelled from Congress while facing criminal charges over stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth.
    — Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 16 July 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • Entirely white outfits are suited to nearly every warm-weather occasion, from Euro vacations to Sunday strolls around town.
    — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 10 July 2026
  • These might be mineral water showers or baths, cold-water enemas, or just drinking 3 glasses of stinky, sulfurous spring water daily before breakfast, while strolling and engaging in pleasant conversation on a landscaped promenade.
    — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 9 July 2026
Definition of stroll

Browse Nearby Words

moo
mooch
mooched
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Cite this Entry

“Mooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooch. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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