scrounge
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English
Etymology
1915, alteration of dialectal scrunge ("to search stealthily, rummage, pilfer") (1909), of uncertain origin, perhaps from dialectal scringe ("to pry about"); or perhaps related to scrouge, scrooge ("push, jostle") (1755, also Cockney slang for "a crowd"), probably suggestive of screw, squeeze. Popularized by the military in World War I.
Pronunciation
Verb
scrounge (third-person singular simple present scrounges, present participle scrounging, simple past and past participle scrounged)
- (intransitive, transitive) To hunt about, especially for something of nominal value; to scavenge or glean.
- scrounge for food
- 1965, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Like a Rolling Stone”:
- Now you don't seem so proud about having to be scrounging your next meal.
- (intransitive) To obtain something of moderate or inconsequential value from another.
- As long as he's got someone who'll let him scrounge off them, he'll never settle down and get a full-time job.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
To hunt about, especially for something of nominal value; to scavenge or glean
To obtain something of moderate or inconsequential value from another
|
Noun
scrounge (plural scrounges)
- Someone who scrounges; a scrounger.
Translations
scrounger — see scrounger
See also
Anagrams
Categories:
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/aʊndʒ
- Rhymes:English/aʊndʒ/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:People