mooching

verb

present participle of mooch
1
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

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2
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
3
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 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
  1. begging
  2. sneaking
  3. wandering
  4. freeloading
  5. lurking
  6. roaming
  7. stealing
  8. cruising
Verb
  • Its dressing—creamy from mayonnaise, subtly sweet from a touch of sugar—is begging for the pickle's salty acidity.
    — Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • The 2026 Toyota Crown is a tame but stylish family car, neither begging you to go off-road or to step on it around country mountains, but instead being an all-around great hauler with the quality Toyota’s known for.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of begging
Verb
  • Just a few weeks into the war, one of the Persian Gulf’s top oil producers quietly began sneaking its crude out of the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
  • But neither those measures nor Friday’s sizzling temperatures stopped fans from gathering in hopes of sneaking a peak at their longtime idol and sending Swift their well wishes.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of sneaking
Verb
  • Outdoor experiences are just as compelling, from kayaking through mangroves at the Environmental Learning Center to wandering the lush landscapes of McKee Botanical Garden.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
  • Two months ago, he was discovered wandering the San Francisco streets, blocks away from his typical habitat and suffering from severe malnutrition.
    — Liz Gray, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of wandering
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
Definition of freeloading
Verb
  • Unbeknownst to its more than 800 members, Flod had been lurking in the public group for years, silently celebrating each new mention of Pinky.
    — Ryan Steven Green, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Messi, Mbappe and Kane will battle for this award, although Dembele is lurking, too.
    — Matt Slater, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of lurking
Verb
  • On July 8, the Inyo National Forest will begin rounding up horses from the Montgomery Pass herd roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California-Nevada border, according to a recent news release.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • The animals have been seen on airport runways, walking on golf courses, roaming near schools and causing panic in supermarkets and hot spring resorts almost on a daily basis.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of roaming
Verb
  • Peterson left office in 2017 after pleading guilty to stealing from his own campaign fund.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • He’s accused of stealing $3 million from the client’s Northern Trust account involving about 200 transactions over a decade until he was fired from the private wealth-management bank in fall 2024.
    — Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of stealing
Verb
  • Senegal were cruising, courtesy of goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Among the benefits of cruising is the fact that, for many Americans, getting to a ship doesn’t necessarily mean taking a flight.
    — Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruising

Browse Nearby Words

mooches
mooching
mood
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Cite this Entry

“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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