verb
scrounge
SKROWNJ
verb
1
To search for or obtain something, especially by asking others or making do with what is available.
"We scrounged some firewood from the campsite next door."
"He scrounged a few dollars together for the bus fare."
noun
1
A person who scrounges; someone who gets by on borrowed or found things.
"He's a bit of a scrounge, always borrowing tools he never returns."
How to Use Scrounge
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo find or get something by resourceful, often opportunistic means.
When to use it
Informal.
Common pairings
scrounge up
scrounge for food
scrounge some cash
Word Forms
scrounged past tense, scrounges plural, scrounges singular
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We _____ some firewood from the campsite next door.
Etymology
Emerged around 1915 as a variant of a dialect word for prying about or pilfering; it was popularized by soldiers during the First World War.