US /mutʃ/ UK /muːtʃ/
verb noun

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    to beg or sponge off others; to loiter aimlessly

    He's always trying to mooch a cigarette off someone at the party.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 verb · to beg or sponge off... spongescroungecadgebegloiterloaf
Word family
Derived forms moochermooching

Etymology

Of uncertain origin, recorded from late Middle English mychen ('to pilfer, skulk'), possibly from Old French muchier ('to hide, lurk'); the modern 'sponge off others' sense developed in 19th-century slang.

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