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

Knowing that the company will never do right by her, she joins up with a group of friends to scavenge for cryopods in an abandoned ship floating overhead, in hopes they can make their way to Yvaga themselves.

From Los Angeles Times

Fathers search for food and water, while children scavenge in garbage and wrecked buildings for scraps of wood or cardboard for their mothers to burn for cooking.

From Seattle Times

Their street is frequented by California black bears coming down from the San Gabriel Mountains to scavenge for food.

From Los Angeles Times

Without the sea ice, the polar bear must scavenge for other, less nutritious food.

From National Geographic Kids

That said, black bears, coyotes and even bobcats have figured out how to scavenge salmon carcasses after they’ve spawned, so it is reasonable to think a grizzly bear will eventually discover the food too.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

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