scavenged; scavenging
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
: 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
All the other bits so far have been scavenged from their property from past projects and/or incidents.
—
New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2025
Carnivores such as these ones likely came to the cave to scavenge leftovers from humans.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2025
Now, scientists say most of the mammoths used to build the site were female, which suggests the Ice Age hunter-gatherers were hunting or scavenging from herds, rather than trapping lone males.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
While scavenging the surface of an apocalyptic earth in a mech, a fellow Drifter ambushed me and took my haul and parts.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scavenge
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New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2025
Carnivores such as these ones likely came to the cave to scavenge leftovers from humans.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2025
Now, scientists say most of the mammoths used to build the site were female, which suggests the Ice Age hunter-gatherers were hunting or scavenging from herds, rather than trapping lone males.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
While scavenging the surface of an apocalyptic earth in a mech, a fellow Drifter ambushed me and took my haul and parts.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scavenge
Cite this Entry
“Scavenge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scavenge. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scavenge
verb
scav·enge
ˈskav-ənj 
-inj
scavenged; scavenging
: to collect usable things from what has been discarded
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