mooched; mooching; mooches
1
intransitive
: to move slowly or apathetically : to wander aimlessly
… the rainy afternoons … spent mooching up and down the aisles of small-town pharmacies and hardware stores.—
Frederick Busch
Frederick Busch2
transitive + intransitive
: to get things from another or live off the generosity of others without providing any return payment or benefit : sponge
trying to mooch a cigarette
mooching money off her brother
has been mooching off his parents for years
plural mooches
US, informal
: one who mooches off others : moocher
The last thing he needed was another mooch … trying to sap his energy and take his time …—Steve Pond
Steve PondSynonyms
Examples of mooch in a Sentence
Verb
he's always mooching off of his friends, even though he can easily pay his own way
I suspect she's mooching around in the background and keeping an eye on us.
Recent Examples on the WebMeghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
In recent years, the wholesaler has made multiple efforts to ice out freeloaders who try to mooch off friends’ memberships.
—Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Also free: Go to a buddy’s house and mooch off them.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
Netflix may be converting mooching nieces, nephews, and ex-lovers into paying subscribers for now.
—WIRED, 18 Oct. 2023
After all, it can be argued that Truman Capote mooched off of those richer and more socially prominent than himself.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 30 June 2023
On Tuesday the streaming company warned that only people who live under the same roof can share accounts, leaving subscribers to decide whether to jettison friends and family mooching off their accounts or pony up an additional $8 monthly fee.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023
Meanwhile, her brother is in the midst of a mental health crisis, two mooching boarders are taking advantage of her oblivious father, and her mother offers little emotional support.
—Vikram Murthi, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023
From the fossils alone, the researchers couldn’t prove whether these insects were pollinators or just mooching for food.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023
Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 30 June 2023
Harry recalls a particularly tense Christmas at Sandringham, marred by bitterness over the Court Circular — the annual record of the royal family’s official engagements, which inspired the press to draw conclusions each year about who was a lazy mooch and who was a workhorse.
—Meredith Blakestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
The meek mold is more of a mooch than a menace.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2022
Don’t attack him for being a mooch.
—cleveland, 11 Apr. 2021
Nobody likes a mooch, but researchers in Australia have found that this parasitic plant is not all bad.
—Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2012
Verb
Costco has made numerous efforts to stop membership mooching in recent years.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
In recent years, the wholesaler has made multiple efforts to ice out freeloaders who try to mooch off friends’ memberships.
—Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Also free: Go to a buddy’s house and mooch off them.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
Netflix may be converting mooching nieces, nephews, and ex-lovers into paying subscribers for now.
—WIRED, 18 Oct. 2023
After all, it can be argued that Truman Capote mooched off of those richer and more socially prominent than himself.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 30 June 2023
On Tuesday the streaming company warned that only people who live under the same roof can share accounts, leaving subscribers to decide whether to jettison friends and family mooching off their accounts or pony up an additional $8 monthly fee.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023
Meanwhile, her brother is in the midst of a mental health crisis, two mooching boarders are taking advantage of her oblivious father, and her mother offers little emotional support.
—Vikram Murthi, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023
From the fossils alone, the researchers couldn’t prove whether these insects were pollinators or just mooching for food.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023
Noun
Some mooch for social gain, others for intellectual stimulation.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 30 June 2023
Harry recalls a particularly tense Christmas at Sandringham, marred by bitterness over the Court Circular — the annual record of the royal family’s official engagements, which inspired the press to draw conclusions each year about who was a lazy mooch and who was a workhorse.
—Meredith Blakestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
The meek mold is more of a mooch than a menace.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2022
Don’t attack him for being a mooch.
—cleveland, 11 Apr. 2021
Nobody likes a mooch, but researchers in Australia have found that this parasitic plant is not all bad.
—Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2012
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mooch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near mooch
Cite this Entry
“Mooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mooch. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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