mooch

American  

[mooch] / mutʃ /

Or mouch

verb (used with object)

1. to borrow (a small item or amount) without intending to return or repay it.

2. to get or take without paying or at another's expense; sponge.

   He always mooches cigarettes.

3. to beg.

4. to steal.

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verb (used without object)

1. to skulk or sneak.

2. to loiter or wander about.

noun

1. Also moocher. a person who mooches.

mooch British  

/ muːtʃ /

verb

1. to loiter or walk aimlessly

2. (intr) to behave in an apathetic way

3. (intr) to sneak or lurk; skulk

4. (tr) to cadge

5. (tr) to steal

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Other Word Forms

• moocher noun

Etymology

Origin of mooch

1425–75; late Middle English, apparently variant of Middle English michen < Old French muchier to skulk, hide

Example Sentences

While other dogs might be content to mooch off kitchen droppings, Riley prefers to eat from her own plate of human food.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025

She thinks she has an answer: The friend makes a lot of money and the guy, a struggling medical student, is looking to mooch.

From Slate • Apr. 26, 2024

Not sure how to mooch, much less where to borrow a fishing boat?

From Seattle Times • Sep. 6, 2022

Like all viruses, they take over cells and force them to churn out other copies of themselves, the worst kind of mooch you can imagine.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2021

Paddy tells the Question, He didn’t go on the mooch and I didn’t either.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt