scavenge

verb

scav·​enge ˈska-vənj 

-vinj

scavenged; scavenging

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to remove (dirt, refuse, etc.) from an area

(2)

: to clean away dirt or refuse from : cleanse

scavenge a street

b

: to feed on (carrion or refuse)

2

a

: to remove (burned gases) from the cylinder of an internal combustion engine after a working stroke

b

: to remove (something, such as an undesirable constituent) from a substance or region by chemical or physical means

c

: to clean and purify (molten metal) by taking up foreign elements in chemical union

3

: to salvage from discarded or refuse material

also : to salvage usable material from

intransitive verb

: to work or act as a scavenger

Examples of scavenge in a Sentence

Rats scavenged in the trash.

The bears scavenged the woods for food.

He scavenged the town dump for automobile parts.

Recent Examples on the Web

The carnivorous marine isopods typically scavenge carcasses on the seafloor, but may also eat live prey. —Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

The existing players needed to lower the new contestants by scavenging sacks of coins from around the woodlands and depositing the coins in one of the newbies’ collectors. —Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025

Among bacteria, small genomes relieve organisms of the pressure of maintaining bulky DNA, but this state also requires them to scavenge many basic nutrients and metabolites from their neighbors. —Veronique Greenwood, Quanta Magazine, 6 Jan. 2025

Oceanic whitetips typically scavenge and feed opportunistically in open waters. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from scavenger

First Known Use

circa 1644, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Kids Definition

scavenge

verb

scav·​enge ˈskav-ənj 

-inj

scavenged; scavenging

: to collect usable things from what has been discarded