Scrounge

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /skɹaʊnd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. To obtain something by begging, borrowing, or searching through discarded items, often with persistent effort or without regard for propriety
2. To acquire something through means of persuasion, seeking favors, or rummaging through refuse, frequently demonstrating resourcefulness or a lack of scruples
3. To gather or secure items by relying on the goodwill of others, searching for leftovers, or using underhanded tactics, often highlighting an adeptness at obtaining resources

Etymology: "Scrounge" was a soldier's word before it was a general one. It appears in 1915 as an alteration of "scrunge," a dialect verb from around 1909 meaning to search stealthily, rummage, or pilfer. Where "scrunge" came from is uncertain. It may be linked to the dialect verb "scringe," meaning to pry about, or to "scrouge" and "scrooge," meaning to push or jostle, a word also known in Cockney slang for a crowd. Either way, the sound suggests "screw" or "squeeze," which fits the idea of wringing something out of a situation. The word was popularized by the military during the First World War, when troops were constantly short of equipment and food and had to find what they needed by wit, favours, and quiet raiding. Soldiers who could reliably come up with spare boots, extra rations, or a bit of coal were said to be good at scrounging, and that admiring tone is still part of the word's meaning. It describes a skill as much as a shortage.

Synonyms: beg, forage, borrow, loot, pillage

Antonyms: give, donate, contribute, provide, offer