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
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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
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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
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In an interview with The Mirror published on Thursday, May 21, royal author Andrew Lownie claimed that Fergie has found herself in a bit of a financial pickle and is begging the Firm for help.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
4 June 2026
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This frozen treat is practically begging to be served poolside.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Autonomous task forces of drones could be assigned to defend against specific threats — Russian subs sneaking into the Atlantic Ocean, say, or a possible amphibious landing on Taiwan.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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As for oats, consider sneaking in some extra protein to round out their nutritional profile.—
Julia Ries Wexler,
Health,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Visitors might arrive by crossing the central plaza; emerging from the underground parking garage, nestled into a berm; or else wandering in from the surrounding Jackson Park, a network of pastoral paths completed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1871.—
Sam Cochran,
Architectural Digest,
4 June 2026
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Check tour lengths in advance and look at what else is on the property — many distilleries sit on historic estates worth wandering for the scenery alone.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Produced by Heavy Lifting Productions in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, Knighted follows a missing person’s case that spirals into an absurd documentary-style exploration of the sinister secrets lurking beneath the enchanting pageantry of a local medieval dinner theatre.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
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The evil is always lurking, waiting to take over, even in a place like Israel.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Nothing but smoke and fires roaming freely, invading even our graves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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Videos went viral of bears rummaging through supermarket aisles and roaming school grounds, setting local communities on edge.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Masked suspects were caught on surveillance cameras leaping over display cases at The Card Lab in Brentwood on Saturday night and stealing $15,000 worth of Pokémon cards in under 40 seconds, police said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
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Last Friday, three men who were convicted of stealing priceless golden artifacts from the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands were sentenced to serve 47 months apiece in prison.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The jet offers a cabin altitude of 2,691 feet while cruising at 41,000 feet, which the company describes as the lowest cabin altitude in business aviation production.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
-
Wacha was cruising until the sixth inning.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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