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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooching
Verb
-
After making its first appearance at the 2024 Live Más Live event, the dessert quickly built a cult-like reputation online, with fans sharing mockups, memes and petitions begging for a real release.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025 -
Yep, the 115 is the go-to when the faucet’s turned on and the trees are begging for tracks.—
Kimberly Beekman,
Outside,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Loomer started sneaking into her fund-raisers.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The shoe’s hook-and-loop closure is another standout feature that keeps feet securely in place and prevents cold air from sneaking in.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Sheriff’s officials have said Chastain was intoxicated and wandering the neighborhood in the moments before the fatal attack.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Fall offers perfect weather for wandering through Wilmington's 230-block National Register Historic District, one of the largest in the country.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
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
-
Their debut album, Forever, sounds like temporarily regressing to your childhood self while tripping—a kind of gleaming innocence desperately fending off the darkness of adulthood lurking at the periphery.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The Longhorns, Sooners, Miami and USC are among some of the higher-profile teams lurking on the fringe of the bracket, while schools such as Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Utah could still find a way to crash the party.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The set-up inside the circle felt more like a rehearsal space, with the group clustered together while also roaming freely around the stage, playing to different parts of the audience.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
5 Nov. 2025
-
In the lead-up to Election Day, Sliwa has only ramped up his campaign, packing his schedule and roaming across all five boroughs.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar-winning acting is known for stealing scenes, but during a recent outing in New York City, her straight-leg jeans took the spotlight.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
There’s a lot of concern among professionals across the creative and media industries that generative AI tools are essentially stealing their work by scraping content available on the Internet.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Boise joined those cities in late October with the speed limit, which prevents riders in the busy 8th Street, Main Street and Idaho Street entertainment corridors from cruising at 15 mph.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Oceanwalker, a Chinese shipyard, typically builds a more plain-jane 60-foot catamaran for the charter market, but Revolution went through it with its designers to create a luxury-cruising version.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
7 Nov. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share