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

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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

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
But if there was ever a time to prove McDaniel’s offensive scheme is what was needed to change things for the Chargers, this is the ultimate test for a team and fan base begging to make a run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of begging

Verb

The new quarterback Mensah with a short completion that Toney turns into a 48-yard play, bouncing up from the tackle and sneaking in a quick little Heisman pose for good measure.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Rather than trade Ohtani for Caminero, who has blossomed into a two-time All-Star at 23, the team added at the deadline in hopes of sneaking into the wild-card race.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

But mostly, Clancy has remained silent and wide-eyed, her gaze wandering around the courtroom as though searching for something.

— Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
With Ernst Reijseger’s wonderfully varied score keeping pace, through folk fiddle and classical cello and stretches of wondering, wandering piano, there just have to be touches of fairytale and a dose of Looney Tunes.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of wandering

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 freeloading

Verb

However, the Broncos’ next opponent is lurking right behind them.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2026
Investors want to see both OpenAI and Anthropic get their financial houses in order, with initial public offerings (IPOs) lurking later this year or in early 2027.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of lurking

Verb

Colorado officials report twice as many bear sightings and conflicts with humans this year compared with the average, including bears roaming where they aren't normally found.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
But for some odd reason, cats just are not viewed in the same way, especially free-roaming cats.

— Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of roaming

Verb

The team views stealing bags, however, as a different equation, an entirely different part of baseball philosophy.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Two individuals accused of stealing over $5,000 worth of music equipment from a Citrus Heights high school have been arrested after police requested the community’s help.

— Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of stealing

Verb

Miami took control of the game from its first offensive drive and never looked back, subbing in the backups by the end of the third quarter and cruising to its first win of the season.

— Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2026
However, Scholes noted parts of the industry, such as river cruising, aren’t feeling those same impacts.

— Nathan Diller, USA Today, 1 Sep. 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 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of mooching

verb

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