scavenger

American  

[skav-in-jer] / ˈskæv ɪn dʒər /

noun

1. an animal or other organism that feeds on dead organic matter.

2. a person who searches through and collects items from discarded material.

3. a street cleaner.

4. Chemistry. a chemical that consumes or renders inactive the impurities in a mixture.

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scavenger British  

/ ˈskævɪndʒə /

noun

1. a person who collects things discarded by others

2. any animal that feeds on decaying organic matter, esp on refuse

3. a substance added to a chemical reaction or mixture to counteract the effect of impurities

4. a person employed to clean the streets

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scavenger Scientific  

/ skăv′ən-jər /

1. An animal that feeds on dead organisms, especially a carnivorous animal that eats dead animals rather than or in addition to hunting live prey. Vultures, hyenas, and wolves are scavengers.

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Other Word Forms

• scavengery
  noun

Etymology

Origin of scavenger

1520–30; earlier scavager < Anglo-French scawageour, equivalent to ( e ) scawage inspection ( escaw ( er ) to inspect < Middle Dutch schauwen to look at (cognate with show ) + -age -age ) + -eour -or ²

Explanation

Ever catch a raccoon in your garbage can? The critter is a scavenger, digging around for whatever it can find to eat. In fact, anything or anybody searching for and collecting what others have tossed away is a scavenger. Originally the Middle English word skavager referred to a customs collector who collected scavage, or a toll on foreign goods brought in to sell. In the late 14th Century, scavengers were people hired to clean the streets. Later, the word was used for animals who ate decaying creatures. Later still, the "scavenger hunt" became popular as a game where people have to find items on a list. Anyone who hunts for and collects castoffs could be called a scavenger.

Example Sentences

Finding the best pint in a given city has become a digital scavenger hunt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

At one man's request, the agency devised a "Mission Impossible" production for an adventurous young woman: an iPad delivered in the morning launched a scavenger hunt across Paris by sidecar and by boat.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Throughout the game, there will be scavenger hunts using video calls where residents get the chance to solve puzzles and riddles then send staff off to find the next clue.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

Mamdani’s scavenger hunt didn’t play a big role in his eventual election to the mayorship in October; it probably didn’t even play a small one.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

“Now that’s a scavenger who went all out. Must be Mr. Money Bags to be able to give away a box like that.”

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman