Thesaurus results for MOOCHING

mooching

verb

present participle of mooch

as in begging

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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as in sneaking

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

as in wandering

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 mooching Meanwhile, the palace has been besieged by loutish suitors, led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson), all of them vying for the queen’s hand in remarriage and mooching off the absent king’s food and wine. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooching

Verb

By summer, buds cover the plant and, soon, soft, layered blossoms are begging you to cut them for the perfect bouquet.

— Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2026
The lush gardens and private office space provide plenty of scenic options for where to spend your alone time, while the covered patio is practically begging for a dinner party with the entire crew.

— Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of begging

Verb

In addition to dark transits, another tactic for sneaking oil supplies through the strait is ship-to-ship transfers, a practice Iran and Russia have previously used to get their oil tankers past Western sanctions.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
The fact that each tally mark was a dollar in the band’s pocket, and that sneaking in was essentially stealing money from them, also didn’t faze us.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

More Phillies players and staff joined them, wandering around the field and the house from the movie for the next 40 minutes.

— Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
The young mountain lion was spotted wandering along Foothill Boulevard between San Dimas Avenue and San Dimas Canyon Road in the morning, according to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of wandering

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 freeloading

Verb

As Loui Ridi, an Ohio resident who owns one of the houses, landed in Israel, settlers were still roaming near Qusra, according to video footage taken by his brother.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
On a typical day this July, around four Roosevelt impersonators were roaming the streets, identifiable by their mustaches, stout bellies, and dispensing of homespun wisdom.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of roaming

Verb

The complaint says Elmi and the three others then began stealing victims' identities to bill Medicaid in their name.

— Adam Duxter, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
A question of piracy After book authors accused the company of stealing their work to train its Claude AI chatbot, Judge Alsup broke the accusations down into two components and addressed them separately.

— TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of stealing

Verb

After 30 years of cruising, the writer considers a balcony cabin the most consistently worthwhile upgrade.

— Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026
An erotic thriller that captures the dying charm of Thailand’s stand-alone cinemas which also serve as cruising sites for closeted gay men.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruising

Browse Nearby Words

mooches

mooching

mood

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“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of mooching

verb

Example Sentences

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