mooch

verb

ˈmüch How to pronounce mooch (audio)
Definition of moochnext
1
as in to beg
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 to sneak
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 to wander
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 mooch Parasites was the name given to those who arrived late to the party and mooched off the remains. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025 Rachel Morin's 'bum' killer mooched off locals before murdering mom of five, lawyer says. — FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Suleman also opened up about her financial insecurity in the early 2010s and how the media painted her to be mooching off the government. — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 8 Mar. 2025 Anyway, my friend and I were able to mooch a ride from him to that wonderful institution known as LAX, land of inconvenience, confusion, disdain and dirty bathrooms. — Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mooch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooch
  1. beg
  2. sneak
  3. wander
  4. freeload
  5. lurk
  6. roam
  7. steal
  8. stroll
Verb
  • These little light strips are just begging to be tinkered with.
    — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
  • All season long, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase has been begging her team to empty the tank.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of beg
Verb
  • Owen Wilson plays an overprotective dad who sneaks his 13-year-old son (Christian Convery) into the festival.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Jason Sudeikis does sneak in the final emotional moment, when Ted learns that Mae Green, the beloved owner of the local Crown & Anchor pub, apparently died while cheering on the team from the stands.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • The newfangled internet granted children almost unbridled freedom — and the ability to wander far afield, digitally at least, of where their parents could protect them from harm.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Lodgings are spread out between double-sized bunk beds and a pull-out sofa, but don’t let your mind wander to sleepaway camp territory.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of wander
Verb
  • However, no data center should be freeloading on my constituents in the form of higher electricity bills.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of freeload
Verb
  • Former landlords lurked in bushes or on roofs or waited in cars outside our home.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The Spurs superstar lurks down low near the basket, allowing guards to pressure aggressively on the perimeter.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • This wildly luxurious hideaway coexists with nature to put you up-close with the Big Five—especially the elephants, lion, and rhino that roam this northwest corner of South Africa.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Winter soon has the crowd eating out of his hand, his unmistakable voice roaming from an intentionally warbly baritone to a Thom Yorke-ish falsetto.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of roam
Verb
  • And the other film is about a Jordanian farmer and the water loss in Jordan, because there’s a whole political situation going on with water being stolen by Israel.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island's capital city, Naha, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • This is cinéma du doomscrolling at its funniest and its doomiest, generating the sort of laughs usually experienced by those strolling toward the gallows.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Fresh off a meeting, Zach Harrison strolled through the Falcons’ locker room and felt his phone buzz.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of stroll

Browse Nearby Words

moo
mooch
mooched
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Cite this Entry

“Mooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooch. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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