leeching

present participle of leech

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leeching
Verb
  • In the collision of spice, sharpness and seedy crunch, and in the sponging way potatoes soak up butter, the intensity never seems like too much.
    Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
  • While the sponging industry has diminished over the years (largely because most modern-day consumers use artificial versions for dish scrubbing and housecleaning), there’s still a considerable market for the natural ones, especially in Europe.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the palace has been besieged by loutish suitors, led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson), all of them vying for the queen’s hand in remarriage and mooching off the absent king’s food and wine.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Far from being a theoretical threat, at least one active attack is already exploiting the mixup.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The other problem is that hackers are exploiting AI to uncover new software vulnerabilities and infiltrate networks at a superhuman rate.
    Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leeching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leeching. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster