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Synonyms

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.


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

"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

Etymology

Origin of bottom feeder

First recorded in 1850–55


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But this is what the Trojans, who did not lose to any Pac-12 bottom feeder this season like UCLA, have provided us: The chance to happily keep dreaming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2022

Add critical personnel deficiencies — Eastern Michigan rushed for 305 yards — and a brutal upcoming schedule, and ASU could quickly join Colorado as a season-long bottom feeder.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2022

Meyer’s actions were the latest embarrassment for a franchise that’s been mostly a bottom feeder since Khan took over in 2012.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2021

“We’re like this entertainment-industry bottom feeder, and as such we have a ton of creative freedom to really define what the American pub quiz actually is.”

From The Guardian ● Mar. 5, 2020

It is a bottom feeder and will take a fish-bait either alive or dead; it is said occasionally to run at a spinning bait when used very deep.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

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