scavenge
verb (used with object)
to take or gather (something usable) from discarded material.
was scavenging
-
past progressiveof scavenge.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s possible that P. colossus was scavenging for food along the seafloor, researchers said, or eating up tons of krill and other tiny sea creatures in the water.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
Si Thu Phyo was scavenging for leftover gemstones when he felt the earth shake loose around him.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2020
General Manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged that he was scavenging for veterans still seeking work.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2017
The other men hollered, and the bear skittered away from the meal it was scavenging on: a dead woodland caribou.
From The Guardian ● May 13, 2016
She and Bridge were alone in the bedroom Celeste shared with Tab, who was scavenging costume parts in her parents’ closet.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
