bottom feeder

American  

[bot-uhm fee-der] / ˈbɒt əm ˌfi dər /

Sometimes bottom-fisher or bottom-feeder

noun

1. bottom fish.

2. an opportunist, as in politics or business.

   bottom feeders who buy up commercial failures.

3. a person or thing having low status or value; loser.

   bottom feeders hanging out in seedy bars.

4. a person who appeals to base instincts.

   Gossip columnists are the bottom feeders of journalism.

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bottom feeder British  

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

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

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Etymology

Origin of bottom feeder

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

“They don’t want to be the bottom feeder,” she said.

From MarketWatch

Punishments have long been a staple of fantasy football, providing an incentive for a league’s bottom feeders to keep trying.

From The Wall Street Journal

The tabloid’s reporting on Edwards won new respect for a publication that had been derided as a bottom feeder in news media circles.

From Seattle Times

In Weidman’s novel, the main character, a garment industry climber named Harry Bogen, is an impenitent snake, a moral bottom feeder who knows no bottom.

From New York Times

His late-career resurgence has been instrumental in the Diamondbacks’ leap from bottom feeders to title contenders.

From Los Angeles Times