/ ˈskævɪndʒ; NAmE / verb
1.
scavenge (for sth) ( of a person, an animal or a bird ) to search through waste for things that can be used or eaten :
[ vn ]
Much of their furniture was scavenged from other people's garbage.
[ v ]
Dogs and foxes scavenged through the trash cans for something to eat.
2.
( of animals or birds ) to eat dead animals that have been killed by another animal, by a car, etc. :
[ vn ]
Crows scavenge carrion left on the roads.
[ v ]
Some fish scavenge on dead fish in the wild.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. (in the sense clean out (dirt) ): back-formation from scavenger .