mooch

or mouch

[ mooch ]

/ mutʃ /

Slang.

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See synonyms for mooch on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

to get or take without paying or at another's expense; sponge: He always mooches cigarettes.

to beg.

to steal.

verb (used without object)

to skulk or sneak.

to loiter or wander about.

noun

Also moocher. a person who mooches.

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Origin of mooch

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mooch in a sentence

Race is also embedded in the whole set of presumptions about the 47 percent and the “moocher class.”
Why You Can’t Tell the Truth About Race|Michael Tomasky|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the comparisons will show what they've shown since the beginning of the republic, that the real moocher class is down South.
Rick Scott and Obamacare|Michael Tomasky|February 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In other words, conservatives, millions more Latinos are poised to become card-carrying members of the good old moocher class!
GOP Attracting Minorities?|Michael Tomasky|January 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Across the lawn, a man walked by with the words “retired moocher” printed on the front of his shirt.
Behind the Scenes at Debate, a Surreal Trip Inside the Spin Zone|David Freedlander|October 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Might an ineffectual-seeming Obama be enough to make moocher-loathing Mitt seem palatable to independents?
Instant Polls: Romney Wins the Debate|Matthew DeLuca|October 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The ol moocher sure has got em trained, Iron Hair, said Raftery.
The Snow-Burner|Henry Oyen
The inmates were principally in pairs; each moocher had his Judy (wife), and each little kid had his little Moll (sister).
Tramping with Tramps|Josiah Flynt
I know what they wants—they think I'm a purty good moocher, 'n' they'll make sinkers out o' me.
Tramping with Tramps|Josiah Flynt
I discovered that what we would call a Tramp over here was a Moocher over there.
Continuous Vaudeville|Will M. Cressy
The English moocher has to resort to his "gag," and his "lurks" are almost innumerable.
Tramping with Tramps|Josiah Flynt

British Dictionary definitions for mooch

mooch

/ (muːtʃ) /

verb slang

(intr often foll by around) to loiter or walk aimlessly

(intr) to behave in an apathetic way

(intr) to sneak or lurk; skulk

(tr) to cadge

(tr) mainly US and Canadian to steal

Derived forms of mooch

moocher, noun

Word Origin for mooch

C17: perhaps from Old French muchier to skulk

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

mooch

or mouch

Origin of mooch

Words related to mooch

How to use mooch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mooch

Derived forms of mooch

Word Origin for mooch