mooch

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

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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

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 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 China’s Silicon Valley–slayer may have mooched off Silicon Valley after all. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025 Her family wants to mooch off her success while also criticizing her success. Lydia Patrick, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mooch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooch
Verb
  • 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
  • The current crop, by contrast, has been begging visitors to crawl back into the light.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Nasir Khan, a scrawny Pakistani American college student living with his parents in Queens, sneaks out and drives his dad’s taxi to a party in Manhattan.
    Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Bhansali has to scan all of his diamonds — millions per year — to make sure no lab-growns have been snuck in the mix.
    Chris Livesay, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • For something more low-key, wander down to the local beach from the hotel’s beach club, stopping off for a fresh coconut along the way.
    Harriet Compston, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Cherniack said Healey, who was identified for the first time Monday, was known to wander about the premises.
    Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
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
  • But hey, this was the '90s, when being weird for weird's sake was a thing, and a creepy animatronic penguin lurking in the shadows and terrorizing humans in a variety of '90s-ish noir settings is definitely that.
    Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Expecting to find traces of the past in the old town of Regensburg, at first, archaeologists believed nothing that exciting lurked here.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Luke Skywalker will roam Black Spire Outpost seeking knowledge of the Force and kyber crystals that power lightsabers.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Rock iguanas once roamed freely across the islands of Turks and Caicos.
    Madeline Weinfield, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Expect mild redness and a sandpaper-like texture for several days; small sacrifices for a complexion that steals the spotlight.
    Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Her worries grow when a group of badgers takes over the Rabbit School and steals the Egg.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • He was also photographed strolling the Strip with that same group after being booted from the venue, according to the Daily Beast.
    Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
  • In addition to the Sonnenalp, all of the buildings in Vail Village were designed with European alpine architecture in mind, so walking around feels a bit like strolling through a wintry Bavarian fairytale.
    Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mooch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooch. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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