foraging

[fawr-i-jing, for-]

See more synonyms for foraging on Thesaurus.com

noun

the acquisition of food by hunting, fishing, or the gathering of plant matter.

adjective

characterized by or dependent upon the acquisition of food by such means; food-gathering: a foraging people.

forage

[fawr-ij, for-]

noun

food for horses or cattle; fodder; provender.
the seeking or obtaining of such food.
the act of searching for provisions of any kind.
a raid.

verb (used without object), for·aged, for·ag·ing.

to wander or go in search of provisions.
to search about; seek; rummage; hunt: He went foraging in the attic for old mementos.
to make a raid.

verb (used with object), for·aged, for·ag·ing.

to collect forage from; strip of supplies; plunder: to forage the countryside.
to supply with forage.
to obtain by foraging.

Origin of forage

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French fourrage, derivative of fuerre fodder (from Germanic)

Related formsfor·ag·er, nounun·for·aged, adjective

Synonym study

1. See feed.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for foraging

Contemporary Examples

Mountain sheep were everywhere, some sleeping by the road, some foraging, bells ringing from their necks as they moved.
Is This Hemingway’s Pamplona or a Lot of Bull?
Clive Irving
July 13, 2014
Salt Point is also the setting of a cautionary tale about foraging that has spread like a fungus among the mycological community.
The Foraging Wars: Extreme Eating Hits California
Debra A. Klein
January 31, 2014
Attempts to mimic the eating habits of our foraging relatives results from a confused understanding of our history.
Eat Like a Caveman? The Trouble With Paleo Living
Robert Herritt
March 21, 2013
My wife comes home from a foraging mission and reports seeing homemade signs in the area that say, "Con Ed Sucks."
Lights Out in Westchester, New York
Malcolm Jones
November 6, 2012
But often Steinbeck was traveling across the western U.S., with no good fishing or foraging to be had.
Menu for a Moveable Feast: 10 Famous Authors and Their Favorite Foods & Recipes
Nicole Villeneuve
October 12, 2012

Historical Examples

A squadron was engaged in covering the operations of a foraging party.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
The man was dressed like a traveller, in a foraging cap with fur about it, and a heap of cloak.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
All the girls in the town are in love with me, or my foraging cap.
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
We are spending our time mostly in foraging, scouting, and patrolling.
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Willard Glazier
And the gaze he turned upon his foraging horses was quite preoccupied.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for foraging

forage

noun

food for horses or cattle, esp hay or straw
the act of searching for food or provisions
military a raid or incursion

verb

to search (the countryside or a town) for food, provisions, etc
(intr) military to carry out a raid
(tr) to obtain by searching about
(tr) to give food or other provisions to
(tr) to feed (cattle or horses) with such food

Derived Formsforager, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old French fourrage, probably of Germanic origin; see food, fodder

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

Word Origin and History for foraging

forage

n.

early 14c. (late 13c. as Anglo-Latin foragium), from Old French forrage "fodder, foraging, pillaging, looting" (12c., Modern French fourrage), from fuerre "hay, straw, forage, fodder" (Modern French feurre) "fodder, straw," from Frankish *fodr "food" or a similar Germanic source (cf. Old High German fuotar, Old English fodor); see fodder). Military forage cap attested by 1827.

forage

v.

early 15c., from Middle French fourrager, from fourage (Old French forrage; see forage (n.)). Related: Foraged; foraging.

foraging

forage

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Synonym study

Examples from the Web for foraging

Contemporary Examples

Mountain sheep were everywhere, some sleeping by the road, some foraging, bells ringing from their necks as they moved.

Salt Point is also the setting of a cautionary tale about foraging that has spread like a fungus among the mycological community.

Attempts to mimic the eating habits of our foraging relatives results from a confused understanding of our history.

My wife comes home from a foraging mission and reports seeing homemade signs in the area that say, "Con Ed Sucks."

But often Steinbeck was traveling across the western U.S., with no good fishing or foraging to be had.

Historical Examples

A squadron was engaged in covering the operations of a foraging party.

The man was dressed like a traveller, in a foraging cap with fur about it, and a heap of cloak.

All the girls in the town are in love with me, or my foraging cap.

We are spending our time mostly in foraging, scouting, and patrolling.

And the gaze he turned upon his foraging horses was quite preoccupied.

forage

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for foraging

forage

n.

forage

v.

Origin of forage