Meaning & use
bottom feeding
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Meanings
noununcountabledisapprovinginformal
The activity of buying cheap things that others have discarded or no longer want, often to make a quick profit.
Grammar: Uncountable; used mainly in business and informal contexts.
Patterns
- bottom feeding on something
- engage in bottom feeding
The company was accused of bottom feeding after it bought failing competitors for almost nothing.
Some investors see bottom feeding as a smart way to make money from other people's mistakes.
Bottom feeding in the property market can be risky if prices keep falling.
noununcountabletechnicalbiology
The natural behavior of fish or other water animals that feed on the bottom of a sea, lake, or river.
Grammar: Technical use; often appears in biology texts.
Patterns
- bottom feeding fish
- bottom feeding species
Catfish are known for bottom feeding, which helps keep the river clean.
The documentary showed bottom feeding among deep-sea creatures.
Bottom feeding fish have mouths adapted for eating from the floor of the ocean.
Common combinations
- bottom feeding fish
- Bottom feeding fish like carp stir up mud as they eat.
- accused of bottom feeding
- The bank was accused of bottom feeding when it bought up small farms.
- engage in bottom feeding
- Some hedge funds engage in bottom feeding during a recession.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scavenging
- Scavenging is more general and can refer to animals or people searching for discarded items; bottom feeding is often used disapprovingly in business.
- vulture investing
- Vulture investing is a more specialized financial term for buying distressed assets; bottom feeding is broader and more informal.
Word family
- bottom feeder noun
- A person or animal that feeds at the bottom; in business, a person who buys cheap, unwanted things.
Practice
The private equity firm was criticized for ______ when it bought struggling businesses at very low prices.
Choose one answer.
Bottom feeding fits the context of buying cheap, unwanted assets. 'Bottom line' means the final profit or most important point; 'bottom of the ladder' means the lowest position; 'bottom out' means to reach the lowest point and stop falling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bottom feeding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.