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Definition of "scavenger" [scav•en•ger]

  • One that scavenges, as a person who searches through refuse for food. (noun)
  • An animal, such as a bird or insect, that feeds on dead or decaying matter. (noun)
  • Chemistry A substance added to a mixture to remove or inactivate impurities. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "scavenger" in a sentence
  • "So these bones all around here, there's leg bones here, there's leg bones up there, were done by wolves, bears, coyotes, what we call the scavenger community."
  • "But it used to, the old frames had revolving scavenger rolls — what they call a scavenger roll, most of them called it a lap stick then."
  • "DURHAM: But it used to, the old frames had revolving scavenger rolls -- what they call a scavenger roll, most of them called it a lap stick then."