sponge
Plural: sponges
Noun
- a porous mass of interlacing fibers that forms the internal skeleton of various marine animals and usable to absorb water or any porous rubber or cellulose product similarly used
- someone able to acquire new knowledge and skills rapidly and easily
- "she soaks up foreign languages like a sponge"
- a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage
- primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework; usually occurs in sessile colonies
- Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
- A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).
- The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.
- A heavy drinker.
- A type of light cake.
- A type of steamed pudding.
- A person who takes advantage of the generosity of others (abstractly imagined to absorb or soak up the money or efforts of others like a sponge).
- A person who readily absorbs ideas.
- A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.
- Any sponge-like substance.
- Dough before it is kneaded and formed into loaves, and after it is converted into a light, spongy mass by the agency of the yeast or leaven.
- Any sponge-like substance.
- Iron from the puddling furnace, in a pasty condition.
- Any sponge-like substance.
- Iron ore, in masses, reduced but not melted or worked.
- A mop for cleaning the bore of a cannon after a discharge. It consists of a cylinder of wood, covered with sheepskin with the wool on, or cloth with a heavy looped nap, and having a handle, or staff.
- The extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, corresponding to the heel.
- A nuclear power plant worker routinely exposed to radiation.
Verb
Verb Forms: sponged, sponging, sponges
- To wipe, absorb, or clean with a porous material.
- wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
- ask for and get free; be a parasite
- erase with a sponge; as of words on a blackboard
- soak up with a sponge
- gather sponges, in the ocean
- To take advantage of the kindness of others.
- To get by imposition; to scrounge.
- To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition.
- To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.
- To suck in, or imbibe, like a sponge.
- To wipe out with a sponge, as letters or writing; to efface; to destroy all trace of.
- To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast or leaven.
- To use a piece of wild sponge as a tool when foraging for food.
Examples
- He had to SPONGE up the extra points from his opponent’s mistake in Scrabble.
- He has been sponging off his friends for a month now.
- to sponge a breakfast
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English sponge, from Old English spunge, taken from Latin spongia, from Ancient Greek σπογγιά (spongiá), from σπόγγος (spóngos).
Synonyms
bum, cadge, grub, leech, mooch, parasite, parazoan, poriferan, quick study, sponger, alco, alcoholic, alkie, bacchanal, bacchant, barfly, bath sponge, bibber, blag, bloodsucker, booze artist, boozehound, boozer, borachio, bouser, bummer, carouser, cupster, dipso, dipsomaniac, drinker, drunk, drunkard, free rider, freeloader, fuddlecap, fuddler, gadfly, grog artist, guzzler, inebriate, juicehead, lick-wimble, lush, lusher, maltworm, moocher, pisshead, pisspot, plonko, porifer, reel-pot, rinse-pitcher, rumpot, scrounge, scrounger, scunge, sea sponge, shicker, slubberdegullion, smell-feast, soak, soaker, sot, souse, sponge, sponge cake, sponge pudding, squeeze-grape, suck-pint, sucker, swill-belly, swill-bowl, swill-flagon, swill-pot, swill-tub, swillking, tippler, toper, tosspot, trencher mate, tun, winebibber, winesop, wino
Scrabble Score: 9
sponge: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordsponge: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sponge: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary