Thesaurus results for MOOCHING

mooching

verb

present participle of mooch

as in begging

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

Relevance

as in sneaking

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

as in wandering

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 mooching 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mooching

Verb

This was in 1824, in London, and Shelley, twenty-seven, and two years the widow of Percy Bysshe Shelley, spent a season begging a mutual friend, the playwright and actor John Howard Payne, to set them up.

— Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
The title was the name of a red-haired, green-eyed young fan Parton met signing autographs, and the story of a woman begging a rival to leave her man alone.

— RJ Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of begging

Verb

The announcement comes after video circulated online of Knight at recent performances, including a July 25 gig at the Hollywood Bowl, wandering around the stage, turning her back to the audience, and not singing on cue.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
But more recently, cell phone videos taken by audience members at Knight performances, including one from a July 25 Hollywood Bowl concert, show the singer wandering the stage, her back to the audience and seeming to miss singing cues.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of wandering

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 freeloading

Verb

Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Filmmaker Bennie Safdie was also seen lurking at the shows with a camera.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of lurking

Verb

Images of Anderson roaming around the concert venue with a large 35mm camera were shared widely on social media sites at the time.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Texas has the largest feral hog population in the United States, with millions of the invasive animals roaming the state.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of roaming

Verb

Moments before, with Wells still at the plate and the Yankees leading 7-1, Flemming and color analyst Will Middlebrooks vented about Chisholm stealing second base and third base during the at-bat.

— Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
After spending 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean is being released a hardened man.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of stealing

Verb

That’s how dramatically the economics of superyacht construction has changed since Whisper first began cruising in 2014.

— Dea Jusufi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The Fort Worth Eastern Hills Highlanders opened the season in commanding fashion Friday night, cruising to a 62-0 victory over the Polytechnic Parrots at Clark Stadium.

— Raul Avila, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruising

Browse Nearby Words

mooches

mooching

mood

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

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Synonyms of mooching

verb

Example Sentences

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