mooch
mooch Lexical Profile
mooch Game Scores & Validity
• verb
North American To ask for or obtain something from others without paying for it or reciprocating (informal).
"He is always trying to mooch a ride home from his coworkers instead of taking the bus."
British To loiter, wander, or walk around slowly in an aimless, bored, or despondent manner (informal).
"The teenagers spent the rainy afternoon mooching around the shopping mall."
To steal or pilfer small, relatively inexpensive items (informal).
"Someone mooched the pens off my desk again while I was away."
• noun
North American A person who habitually borrows from or lives at the expense of others without reciprocating; a freeloader or beggar.
"Everyone at the office got tired of his being a mooch who always took snacks from the break room without contributing."
British An aimless walk, casual stroll, or period of wandering and browsing.
"We had a pleasant mooch around the local antique shops before stopping for lunch."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North American usage, 'mooch' primarily means to sponge off others or ask for freebies, whereas in British and Australian usage, it more commonly means to wander around aimlessly or loiter.
• Rhymes for mooch
Word Origin & Etymology
Alteration of the earlier dialectal verb 'mich' (meaning to skulk, play truant, or pilfer), from Middle English 'michen', which was borrowed from Old French 'muchier' ('to hide or skulk').