bottom feeder

or bot·tom-feed·er

[ bot-uhm fee-der ]
See synonyms for bottom feeder on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an opportunist, as in politics or business: bottom feeders who buy up commercial failures.

  1. a person or thing having low status or value; loser: bottom feeders hanging out in seedy bars.

  2. a person who appeals to base instincts: Gossip columnists are the bottom feeders of journalism.

Origin of bottom feeder

1
First recorded in 1850–55
  • Sometimes bot·tom-fish·er [bot-uhm-fish-er] /ˈbɒt əmˌfɪʃ ər/ (defs. 2-4) .

Words Nearby bottom feeder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bottom feeder in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bottom feeder

bottom feeder

noun
  1. a fish that feeds on material at the bottom of a river, lake, sea, etc

  2. an objectionable and unimpressive person or thing

  1. Also called: bottom fisher a speculator who buys shares in companies that are performing poorly in anticipation of improved performance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012