scavenge

American  

[skav-inj] / ˈskæv ɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

scavenged, scavenging

1. to take or gather (something usable) from discarded material.

2. to cleanse of filth, as a street.

3. to expel burnt gases from (the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine).

4. Metallurgy. to purify (molten metal) by introducing a substance that will combine chemically with impurities.

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verb (used without object)

scavenged, scavenging

1. to act as a scavenger.

2. (of an engine or cylinder) to become scavenged of burnt gases.

3. to search, especially for food.

scavenge British  

/ ˈskævɪndʒ /

verb

1. to search for (anything usable) among discarded material

2. (tr) to purify (a molten metal) by bubbling a suitable gas through it. The gas may be inert or may react with the impurities

3. to clean up filth from (streets, etc)

4. chem to act as a scavenger for (atoms, molecules, ions, radicals, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• unscavenged adjective

Etymology

Origin of scavenge

First recorded in 1635–45; back formation from scavenger

Example Sentences

Paulo found an unemployed gospel singer who made a living scavenging Latin America's largest trash dump.

From The Wall Street Journal

In drought-hit northeastern Kenya, villagers have been forced to drag their dead livestock to distant fields for burning to keep the stench of death and scavenging hyenas away from their homes.

From Barron's

The authors argue that scavenging was not an occasional fallback, but a core survival strategy repeated throughout human evolutionary history.

From Science Daily

I’d done my best with Mr. O’Malley and his vegetables, but all I could scavenge from his wooden bins were a few wilted eggplants.

From Literature

After I scavenge the whole lot for cans, it’s time to feed my coyote.

From Literature

Related Words

• check
• comb
• examine
• explore
• go through
• hunt
• hunt for
• inspect
• investigate
• look
• probe
• ransack
• scan
• scour
• scout
• scrutinize
• seek
• sift