Mooch Definition

mo͝och

mooched, mooches, mooching

verb

mooched, mooches, mooching

To get by begging or sponging; cadge.

Webster's New World

To steal; pilfer.

Webster's New World

To loiter, loaf, or rove about.

Webster's New World

To skulk or sneak.

Webster's New World

To get food, money, etc. by begging or sponging.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

noun

A person who sponges off others.

Webster's New World

A dupe, as in a confidence game.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Origin of Mooch

From Middle English moochen, mouchen (“to pretend poverty"), from Old French muchier, mucier, mucer (“to skulk, hide, conceal"), from Old Frankish *mukjan (“to hide, conceal oneself"), from Proto-Germanic *mukjanÄ…, *mÅ«kōnÄ… (“to hide, ambush"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mÅ«g-, *(s)mewgÊ°- (“swindler, thief"). Cognate with Old High German mÅ«hhōn (“to store, cache, plunder"), Middle High German muchen, mucken (“to hide, stash"), Middle English müchen, michen (“to rob, steal, pilfer"). More at mitch.

From Wiktionary
Alternate etymology derives mooch from Middle English mucchen (“to hoard, be stingy", literally “to hide coins in one's nightcap"), from mucche (“nightcap"), from Middle Dutch mutse (“cap, nightcap"), from Medieval Latin almucia (“nightcap"), of unknown origin. More at mutch, amice.

From Wiktionary
Middle English mowchen probably from Old French muchier to hide, skulk

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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