freeganadj.n.
/ˈfriːɡən/, U.S. /ˈfriɡən/ A. adj.
Of or relating to the practice of eating discarded food, typically collected from the refuse of shops or restaurants, for ethical or ecological reasons; (of a person) engaging in this practice.The practice is sometimes regarded as a variation of veganism, because although some freegans consume animal products they do not pay for them and therefore do not financially support the farming of animals.
ΚΠ
1995 J. A. Kitts Reframing Attitude-Behavior Deb. (M.Sc. Thesis, University of Michigan) iv. iii. 77 I am vegan, but I will eat milk or eggs if they are stolen or come out of the trash (‘freegan’).
2003 Observer 23 Nov. (Cash section) 3/5 Anyone who loves planning will hate freegan cooking: recipes are entirely dictated by what you find.
2005 Times 17 Sept. 12 Maybe it's time to give the freegan lifestyle a try.
2007 N.Y. Mag. 13 Aug. 51/1 There may be no better spot in mainland Manhattan for Dumpster diving for your dinner... But arrive early: You'll have to battle the ‘freegan’ hordes.
B. n.
A person who eats discarded food, typically collected from the refuse of shops or restaurants, for ethical or ecological reasons.
ΚΠ
1997 Sunday Times 31 Aug. v. 14/6 I met a bald bloke who explained that there are..camps for vegans and camps for ‘freegans’ who simply eat anything they are given.
2003 Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pa.) 28 July c8/2 Freegans like Jones will eat non-vegan food if it's free—that is, if they scavenge it, so they're not supporting the non-vegan industry.
2004 M. Morton Cupboard Love (ed. 2) 247 Ovo-vegetarians (who will consume eggs), pescatarians (vegetarians who will consume fish), and freegans. The latter term..denotes a person who eats only food that has been discarded.
2011 Independent 16 Sept. 21/1 I've been a freegan most of my adult life. My family's main source of food is things the shops throw away.
Derivatives
ˈfreeganism n.
ΚΠ
2003 Sacramento (Calif.) Bee 27 May e1/3 It's not just a fringe diet. Freeganism is rooted in a political philosophy that condemns over-consumption and waste in American society.
2008 Independent 16 Sept. (Extra section) 5/2 At heart, freeganism is an anticonsumerist movement.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1995