to mooch off
5
8.6
- phrasal verb
- /muːtʃ ɔf/
- Informal
:
vivir a costa de
- Quit mooching off me.
- mooching off parents
- mooch off people
Examples
-
We want to mooch off the other guy.
Blog text (12) -
Because when we were kids, George used to mooch off me.
-
You want to move into my house and mooch off of my family?
-
" Hey, get a job, quit mooching off me."
Academic text (1995) -
All those old people mooching off the young.
Blog text (9) -
We are not mooching off anyone.
Blog text (9) -
Be prepared to mooch off your friends or go hungry!
Blog text (31) -
I've been mooching off you for years, and it's never been a problem until she showed up.
-
I'd pity you if you weren't mooching off my tax dollar.
Blog text (12) -
He always finds a way to mooch off his friends instead of buying his own drinks.
Synonyms
12
8.5
To ask others for food, money, or help and not pay for it
8
7.5
To take advantage of someone by always using their help or money without giving anything back
6
7.5
To get food, a place to stay, or other help without giving anything in return
4
7.9
To take money, food, or help from someone without giving anything back
To ask for or take something without paying, for example food
To get a free meal by asking or finding a chance to eat
To take free things or help from other people without giving anything back
Antonyms
How Much
- Informal
6
7.5
- Informal
5
8.6
- Informal
12
6.8
417
1.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
mooch + off
The verb 'mooch' already means to take or ask for things without paying, and the particle 'off' signals the source/target (mooch off someone = mooch from someone). This is a regular, compositional phrasal-verb pattern in English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the idiomatic use.
Etymology
Mooch off comes from the image of someone who hangs around and quietly asks for food or money. One popular story says mooch meant to beg and off shows it comes from another person, so mooch off means 'to get something from someone without paying'.