scrounge

verb

scrounged; scrounging

transitive verb

1
2
a
: to get as needed by or as if by foraging, scavenging, or borrowing
scrounging enough money for a bus ticket
b
: finagle, wheedle
often used with up

intransitive verb

: to search about and turn up something needed from whatever source is available
also : to actively seek money, work, or sustenance from any available source
scrounger noun

Examples of scrounge in a Sentence

I managed to scrounge enough money for a bus ticket. He's always scrounging off his friends instead of paying for things himself. We scrounged around for firewood. We managed to scrounge some firewood.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The weekend before that, another franchise property topped the box office, but Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was only able to scrounge up $15.5 million in its premiere run. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2025 Photograph by Tsering Bista and Beck Harlan Budget travel does not have to be what many of us had the privilege of doing in our early 20s — staying in a hostel, scrounging for cheap eats or maybe even sleeping in a train station. Amelia Edelman, NPR, 25 Jan. 2025 Judge Lopez has instructed the bankruptcy trustee in this case, Christopher Murray, to scrounge up a more lucrative offer for the site in the next 30 days. Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, storm survivors were still scrounging for food and clean water and shuffling from shelter to shelter three days after Helene first made landfall in Florida. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scrounge 

Word History

Etymology

alteration of English dialect scrunge to wander about idly

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrounge was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near scrounge

Cite this Entry

“Scrounge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrounge. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

scrounge

verb
scrounged; scrounging
1
: to collect by or as if by rummaging
scrounge around for firewood
2
: to get by coaxing or persuading
scrounge a dollar from a friend
scrounger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on scrounge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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