ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Scavenger

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Scavenger is a noun meaning Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.

Meaning

Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.

More Meanings

  1. An animal that feeds on decaying matter such as carrion.
  2. (UK, Ireland, obsolete) A street sweeper.
  3. (UK, Ireland, historical) A child employed to pick up loose cotton from the floor in a cotton mill.
  4. (chemistry) A substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.
  5. (archaic) To scavenge.
  6. (archaic) To clean the rubbish from a street, etc.

Example Sentences

garbage scavenger
Vultures are natural scavengers.
A scavenger picked through the rubbish heap.

Word Forms

Synonyms for scavenger

Depending on context, synonyms include magpie.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include magpie, trap, mousetrap, pitfall, snare, park.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.