bottom feeding

/ˈbɑtəm ˌfidɪŋ/
adjective
  1. Feeding on food at the bottom of a body of water, as certain fish do.
    • Bottom-feeding fish like carp stir up mud while searching for food.
    • The pond's bottom-feeding species help keep the water clean by eating dead plants.
    • Some bottom-feeding sharks have flat bodies for hunting near the seafloor.
  2. Seeking profit or advantage from low-quality, cheap, or distressed assets or situations.
    • His bottom-feeding strategy involved buying junk bonds at rock-bottom prices.
    • The investor made a fortune by bottom-feeding on bankrupt companies.
    • Critics accused the company of bottom-feeding behavior by buying up cheap housing in poor neighborhoods.
  3. Engaging in morally low or exploitative behavior for personal gain.
    • Some tabloids engage in bottom-feeding journalism by invading celebrities' privacy.
    • The lawyer was known for bottom-feeding ambulance chasing after accidents.
    • He felt disgusted by the bottom-feeding tactics of the scam artists.
noun
  1. The act of feeding at the bottom of a body of water.
    • Scientists studied the bottom-feeding habits of rays in the coral reef.
    • Bottom-feeding is a common survival strategy for many freshwater fish.
    • The catfish's whiskers help it detect food during bottom-feeding.
  2. The practice of seeking profit from low-quality or distressed assets.
    • Bottom-feeding in real estate can be risky but very profitable.
    • He made a career out of bottom-feeding in the junk bond market.
    • The hedge fund specialized in bottom-feeding during market crashes.
What does "bottom feeding" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean