mooches

verb

present tense third-person singular of mooch
1
as in begs
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

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2
as in sneaks
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 wanders
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooches
  1. begs
  2. sneaks
  3. wanders
  4. lurks
  5. roams
  6. slips
  7. drifts
  8. steals
Verb
  • When Sita begs Rama to follow a demon disguised as a beautiful golden deer, Rama draws a magical protective circle around the princess and instructs her to stay within the circle’s borders.
    — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The actress is an enormously entertaining presence, and the premise practically begs for an explosive music video finale.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of begs
Verb
  • Owen Wilson plays an overprotective dad who sneaks his 13-year-old son (Christian Convery) into the festival.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The titular bed trick refers to the literary device, beloved by Shakespeare and by opera buffa, in which a lover sneaks into a bed and, under cover of darkness, is taken for someone else.
    — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sneaks
Verb
  • A bit later, Len wanders down to her place for coffee and their morning round of cards.
    — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Third place was Japanese director Sabu’s Arrested Memory, a crime caper about a detective with dementia who unwittingly wanders off with a multimillion-dollar ransom, sending cops and criminals on his trail.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of wanders
Verb
  • The Spurs superstar lurks down low near the basket, allowing guards to pressure aggressively on the perimeter.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Clements sets the scene with lively pop music and excellent period-specific costuming, though darkness lurks beneath the funky 1970s groove.
    — Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurks
Verb
  • When the Farmer destroys the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch, Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, only for events to spiral out of control as a wild beast roams the woods of Mossingham.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Ripper Row — Jack the Ripper roams the streets in search of his next victim.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of roams
Verb
  • With one entity in charge, no community slips through the cracks.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The suit claims the development extends beyond the existing Seaquarium site and into Biscayne Bay, where Resilient Aquarium LLC plans to build more than 300 boat slips that do not currently exist.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of slips
Verb
  • His attention drifts towards intimate details – the bare armpit, the small hollow at the base of Rafael’s neck – and the music follows him into this increasingly private, almost obsessive fascination.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Filmed largely in natural daylight, the film drifts between still, unhurried, panning shots to evoke not only the spiritual energy that keeps the temples humming but also a world in slow, gradual decay.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of drifts
Verb
  • Professor Frink reanimates his formerly deceased father after winning the Nobel Prize, but the elder Frink, not content with his current body, steals parts and organs from other humans.
    — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The central spiral staircase in the common area, with its ultra-plush carpeting, steals the show.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of steals
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.

Browse Nearby Words

moochers
mooches
mooching
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Cite this Entry

“Mooches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooches. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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