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

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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

Mahajan’s family has appeared at City Hall, in person and through videoconference calls from India, begging the city to finally end the rides.

— Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Mahajan's family has appeared at City Hall, in person and through videoconference calls from India, begging the city to finally end the rides.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of begging

Verb

Kids made good accomplices, tasked with sneaking off on a hunt for the bill.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
At 15, Mariana de Miguel was already sneaking into Mexico City’s nightlife with a fake ID, saving money to see the bands that shaped her imagination.

— Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

The update comes on the heels of security footage from Clarkson’s visit to the store being released, showing Clarkson wandering the store for about five minutes, including a rather brief interaction with a shop employee.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
As the song played, people from neighboring studios, including hip-hop producers and other musicians, began wandering in.

— Alex Distefano, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 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

The most profitable service targets authors lurking outside the notoriously gatekept realm of traditional publishing.

— Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026
However, the modern versions that are packed with high explosives and sit lurking under the dirt to blow up unwary vehicles or pedestrians are much nastier affairs.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of lurking

Verb

If Mick hadn’t come cruising into that playground, lights off?

— George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
The Arlington Heights Yellowjackets continued their dominant season Friday, cruising to a dominant 71-0 victory over the North Side Steers and extending their unbeaten record.

— Aliza Acuna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruising

Browse Nearby Words

mooches

mooching

mood

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Style

“Mooching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mooching. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of mooching

verb

Example Sentences

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