mooching

present participle of mooch
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooching
Verb
  • That deal is begging to be traded.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Recreate Witherspoon’s rich monochromatic look with these burgundy pants that are practically begging to be worn during holiday gatherings.
    Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Here is Carreras profiting from that exact ploy while playing for Benfica against Barcelona in the Champions League last season, sneaking forward on the far side before receiving the switch and hammering a low cross into striker Vangelis Pavlidis to score.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Eileen’s determination to face down the boys and be accepted for her full self or Hedda sneaking around and steering everyone’s fates behind the scenes?
    Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • With the strap down, these clogs hold the heel securely and are great for wandering around the streets of a foreign city, walking the dogs, or even a little hike.
    Jakob Schiller, Outside, 18 Oct. 2025
  • What looked like a shadow at first turned out to be the dog, skittish and exhausted from wandering.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • The clip then hints that the small town is anything but, with disappearances of children, creepy creatures and more lurking in its past and haunting the present.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses.
    Real-Time News team, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While some dogs were found roaming around the house, others were in cages.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
  • From the Mercury and Gemini missions to the drama of Apollo 13, the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, and the robotic explorers roaming Mars, NASA's history is packed with daring feats and scientific firsts.
    Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Their double life soon gets complicated when a rival boy band harboring a sinister secret begins stealing their fans.
    Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • And the scam compounds in Cambodia continue to operate, stealing money from victims including US citizens.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Others may prefer Zodiac boat cruising, helicopter rides, or submarine dives.
    Ashton Palmer, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Dozens of those over-the-top displays will be on our annual holiday lights map, which is used by individuals, bus tours, limo parties and others who have made cruising the Phoenix area in search of the biggest and brightest part of their holiday tradition.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
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

Cite this Entry

“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!