as in to beg
to persuade someone to give you (something) for free
He spent his time trying to cadge drinks from the customers. She cadged money from her sister.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cadge
Schwarzenegger made a pilgrimage to Washington to cadge more money from the government, but came home empty-handed.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Ansa works in a Helsinki supermarket, collecting expired food and cadging the odd casserole for her dinner.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
One weekend, a colleague cadged a Chrysler minivan.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
At a more than two-hour sentencing hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Providence Tuesday, prosecutors and victims described the litany of Cavanaugh’s schemes, from bilking charities out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to cadging beers at a local bar.
—Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cadge
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Ansa works in a Helsinki supermarket, collecting expired food and cadging the odd casserole for her dinner.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
One weekend, a colleague cadged a Chrysler minivan.
—Brett Berk, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
At a more than two-hour sentencing hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Providence Tuesday, prosecutors and victims described the litany of Cavanaugh’s schemes, from bilking charities out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to cadging beers at a local bar.
—Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cadge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cadge
Verb
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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The current crop, by contrast, has been begging visitors to crawl back into the light.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The intelligence reports warn that 764 and its many offshoots have expanded into a transnational, online network that glorifies violence and tries to coerce people, often minors, to hurt themselves or others.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Criminals usually target people who have publicly boasted about their crypto winnings, and physically coerce them to give up their Bitcoin key.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Latvia skeleton coach Ivo Steinbergs told Reuters that a protest has been sent by his federation to the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) requesting Heraskevych’s reinstatement.—
Amanda Davies,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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Braner requested deeper dives on the punishment that Rady is likely to face if forced to resume gender care, on which other hospitals in California have taken similar actions, and on the specific status of young patients affected by the program’s sudden shutdown.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Footage of the incident shows King Charles greeting dozens of residents when one man shouted at him, asking whether the monarch had urged police to investigate his disgraced brother, according to The Times.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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But for those interested in fashion history, these red carpet looks are key texts just asking to be pored over.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Celia unites the very best artisans and designers, handpicked by Luhrmann and Martin, to conjure a world of storied theatre across a carriage that draws on the British landscape, theatre, and literary legends.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Feb. 2026
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The Assistant was Anthropic’s attempt to conjure from the base model an agreeable little customer-service representative in a bow tie.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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The Netflix rep says there is no correlation between this change and people mooching off other people's accounts.—
Boone Ashworth,
Wired News,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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What does the law require of people who wish to become citizens of the United States and gain the right to vote?—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
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Teddi Mellencamp reflected on her cancer journey one year after she was hospitalized and required emergency brain surgery.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Multiple news outlets have reported receiving ransom notes, and the Guthrie family has expressed a willingness to pay — although it’s not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Berthelot/Getty Images Minimalist sandals with thick straps, a firm structure, and a practical sole are ideal for those who love practical but demanding fashion.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cadge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cadge. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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