verb
mooch
MOOCH
verb
1
To get something, such as money or food, from someone else without paying or giving anything back; to sponge off others.
"He's always mooching cigarettes off his coworkers."
"Stop mooching free wifi and just pay for your own plan."
2
To wander around without any particular purpose.
"We spent the afternoon mooching around the old town, in and out of shops."
noun
1
A person who habitually sponges off others.
"Nobody wanted to lend him anything else — he had a reputation as a mooch."
How to Use Mooch
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo scrounge things off other people instead of paying your own way, or someone who does this.
When to use it
Informal; used in casual speech, often with mild disapproval or teasing.
Common pairings
mooch off someone
mooch a cigarette
total mooch
Word Forms
mooched past tense, mooches plural, mooches plural, mooches singular
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Etymology
From Middle English mouchen ("to skulk about, pretend poverty"), ultimately from an Old French word meaning "to hide or lurk" — the idea of sneaking about for a handout.