scavenge

[ skav-inj ]

verb (used with object)

, scav·enged, scav·eng·ing.

1. to take or gather (something usable) from discarded material.
2. to cleanse of filth, as a street.
3. to expel burnt gases from (the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine).
4. Metallurgy. to purify (molten metal) by introducing a substance that will combine chemically with impurities.

verb (used without object)

, scav·enged, scav·eng·ing.

1. to act as a scavenger.
2. (of an engine or cylinder) to become scavenged of burnt gases.
3. to search, especially for food.

scavenge

/ ˈskævɪndʒ /

verb

1. to search for (anything usable) among discarded material
2. tr to purify (a molten metal) by bubbling a suitable gas through it. The gas may be inert or may react with the impurities
3. to clean up filth from (streets, etc)
4. chem to act as a scavenger for (atoms, molecules, ions, radicals, etc)

Other Words From

• un·scavenged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scavenge¹

First recorded in 1635–45; back formation from scavenger

Example Sentences

Is it their scavenging habits, their social behavior?

From Salon

The most unexpected is composed of scavenged plastic grocery bags.

From Los Angeles Times

It features big eyes made out of a Coleman camp stove grill with eyelashes scavenged from a neighbor’s leftover artificial turf.

From Los Angeles Times

She told The Times she paid to remove 21 dump-truck loads of trash, only to have her son fill the property back up with scavenged items.

From Los Angeles Times

Their black plumage, beady eyes, haunting cry and eager scavenging have earned them a prominent and creepy place in myth and folklore.

From New York Times

Related Words

• check
• comb
• examine
• explore
• go through
• hunt
• hunt for
• inspect
• investigate
• look
• probe
• ransack
• scan
• scour
• scout
• scrutinize
• seek
• sift