scrounger

1 7.6

A person who gets food or money from others without paying

noun
/ˈskraʊndʒər/

Offensive

: gorrón

The Aussies would say by way of commendation, "He's a scrounger," meaning that the man in question went far beyond the sailor's penchant for picking up without authorization whatever might possibly turn out to be useful.
a seed scrounger

You have been proved again and again a liar, a fraud, a scrounger, A corrupt businessman, a dishonest tradesman.

Examples

Many consider him a scrounger because he frequently borrows things without returning them.
I gathered that a good scrounger was a man who knew how to live.

Fiction book (1991)
The country simply cannot afford to keep these scroungers among us in the lifestyle they have chosen to follow.

Blog text (30)
You are a scrounger who wants to live off other people's backs and wish that more and more people become poor in order to feel equal to them.

Blog text (19)
Others, for example, used to have a more caring view of other people, but have now moved into the 'hang and flog all scroungers' field of political philosophy.

Blog text (4)
He is known as a notorious scrounger, always asking for free meals from his friends.
As a dedicated scrounger, she often finds ways to get items without spending any money.

Synonyms

freeloader

vsscrounger

Offensive

27 6.1

A person who takes help or gifts without giving anything back

is the specific habit of regularly obtaining food or money by relying on others

moocher

vsscrounger

Offensive

14 8.3

A person who often gets food or money without paying

is the general concept of regularly obtaining things from others

leech

vsscrounger

Offensive

9 8.1

A person who takes advantage of others and gives nothing in return

is similar but is framed more neutrally as habitual obtaining from others

mooch

vsscrounger

Offensive

7 8.8

A person who often gets free food or money from others without paying

is the neutral description of habitual obtaining from others

sponge

vsscrounger

Offensive

5 7.2

A person who takes others' food or help without giving back

is the more general habit of obtaining things from others without payment

schnorrer

vsscrounger

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who often asks others for money or food without giving anything back

is identical in meaning but is a foreign loanword

sponger

vsscrounger

Offensive

1 8.2

A person who depends on others without giving anything back

is similar but focuses on obtaining tangible items by relying on others

cadger

vsscrounger

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who often gets free food or money from others without paying

emphasises relying on others generally rather than only not paying

shnorrer

vsscrounger

Offensive

9.9

A person who always asks for free things and never gives anything back

is the broader label for the same habitual taking behaviour

Antonyms

provider

65 2.9

A person who gives money, food, or a home to their family

How Dependent

freeloader

Offensive

27 6.1

scrounger

Offensive

1 7.6

Surface Forms

scrounger singular

scroungers plural

Morphology

scrounger = scrounge (transparent) = scrounge + er

Standard agentive formation: 'scrounge' (to obtain by foraging/begging) + '-er' yields 'one who scrounges', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Scrounger comes from the verb scrounge, which means 'to search around for things to get, often scraps or free items'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine someone looking for leftover 'scraps' or free food, so a scrounger is a person who often gets things for free by relying on others or finding leftovers.