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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 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
  • There was one big first-half chance that went begging, Callum Doyle’s flick-on leaving the Wales international with just goalkeeper Max Weiss to beat, but his close-range header was tipped over.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • If your everyday tech is begging for retirement, these late holiday drops are the easiest way to upgrade.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of beg
Verb
  • Every round, the players put on googly-eyed glasses that obscure their vision while Sam sneaks over to tap a Spy, who removes their glasses so Sam can point out which object fits the prompt.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • To be clear, many of these live recordings are sourced from fans who snuck cassette recorders into concert halls.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • About an hour later, the hikers called the sheriff’s office for directions but eventually wandered off the Clear Creek Route and into Mud Creek Canyon.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Outside, addicts wander peg-legged in the pulverizing triple-digit late summer heat, past attorneys in cream sport coats and copper-red ties.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 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
  • Nobody seems to work much, though, the employees are consumed by gossip, crushes, and confusion about their coworkers, superiors, and others who lurk in their building.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • While society pushes forward, there’s no promise that an even deadlier virus isn’t already lurking out of sight.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • For millions of years, Pacific mastodons — huge, hairy relatives of modern elephants — roamed a vast and lush range that included California, Oregon, the northern Rocky Mountains and parts of Mexico.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The coyote, known to neighbors as Wendy, roamed a Studio City neighborhood for about a year with an extremely swollen face before wildlife and animal rescue groups captured her last week.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of roam
Verb
  • Last year, when Ohio State hosted Texas, the two QBs were the headliners, but their performances didn’t live up to the hype, as each team’s defense stole the show.
    — Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • But Native Americans experienced slavery as stealing of relatives, as a community loss, and it was always intermingled with the stealing of their land and disregard for their sovereignty.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • The setting is contemporary Paris in crisis, when civil unrest, rather amorphously presented apart from increasing numbers of military on the streets, makes evening strolls potentially problematic.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • With a nod from the person at the desk, we were buzzed out and strolled straight onto the tarmac to mount up.
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 9 Sep. 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 15 Sep. 2026.

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