freeloading

verb

present participle of freeload
as in begging
to live by relying on someone else's generosity or hospitality without sharing in the cost or responsibility after college, he freeloaded off his parents for several years before finally moving out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of freeloading Scientists tracking humpbacks off the coast of Australia have captured rare footage that shows clutches of the freeloading fish peeling away from their host in what looks like a high-speed game of chicken, just moments before the whale breaches. — CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025 The specter of freeloading corporations using more space, water, and energy for AI processing has defined the race for the 30th House of Delegates district, well outside DC. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freeloading
begging
Verb
  • Jurors heard a harrowing voicemail left by Johnson begging one of her friends for help as Williams butchered her, stabbing her five times in the chest and four times in her back.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Aemond, still recovering from his mother’s poison, is mopier than usual, begging Alys to be left alone.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of begging

Browse Nearby Words

freeloaders
freeloading
freeloads
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Cite this Entry

“Freeloading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freeloading. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on freeloading

Nglish: Translation of freeloading for Spanish Speakers

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