Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a search, a hunt, thus as v.

1918		F. Dunham diary 23 Mar. in Long Carry (1970) 150: I remember [...] going for a ‘scrounge’ round amongst the other huts in search of anything that might be of use to us.
1933		(con. WWI) F. Richards Old Soldiers Never Die (1964) 33: McGregor was wondering whether they would have a scrounge through the house.
1963		(con. 1946) J. Michener Caravans 255: Late that afternoon, while Mira was scrounging the Kabul bazaars, Richardson returned with my gear.
1986		J. Ellroy Suicide Hill 250: He was about to scrounge the glove compartment for a street atlas.
2022		G.M. Graff Watergate 250: [S]tarting his own practice in 1934, scrounging moderate success and living almost hand to mouth.