1
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
Relevance
2
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
3
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
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
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooching
Verb
-
Ring camera footage obtained by the outlet shows a woman frantically knocking on a neighbor's door and begging for help moments after the child was struck.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
-
There were cheers and kids begging for high-fives from him.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
After being expelled from Brown University for sneaking a coed into his room, Turner came to Atlanta to work as an account executive for his domineering father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising.—
David Bauder,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
-
In the video, the woman is seen lifting the bottle of cognac, which retails for $4,000, and sneaking it into a purse.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In other words, the object that reshaped the moon may have been a leftover planetary building block wandering inward from the outer rocky solar system during the chaotic era of planet formation.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
-
For a glimpse of wildlife, ogle the bison wandering on the Wildlife Loop.—
Jess Hoffert,
Midwest Living,
9 May 2026
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
Verb
-
Lucy and Elsa have built their lives around men who may have dark sides lurking.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
The Wolves rushed shots in and around the paint all night because Wembanyama was always lurking.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
In a post on its website, the Humane Society said free-roaming rabbits that are used to living outdoors don’t often adapt well to being pets.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
11 May 2026
-
Villagers had allegedly complained that packs of stray dogs were often roaming the area before the incident occurred, per the outlet.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Avedian said that the issue is not just about people stealing identities or social security numbers; the danger to the consumer is much greater.—
Amy Corral,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
At the moment, however, AI is merely stealing from us all.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The 364-foot Leviathan was delivered to the billionaire gaming visionary in November 2025, but was recently captured cruising the Bahamas by photographer Guillaume Plisson.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
6 May 2026
-
The driver of a truck for H&S Family of Bakeries was seen in the video cruising along the highway when the aircraft made impact.—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
