sponge

American  

[spuhnj] / spʌndʒ /

noun

sponges plural

1. any aquatic, chiefly marine animal of the phylum Porifera, having a porous structure and usually a horny, siliceous or calcareous internal skeleton or framework, occurring in large, sessile colonies.

2. the light, yielding, porous, fibrous skeleton or framework of certain animals or colonies of this group, especially of the genera Spongia and Hippospongia, from which the living matter has been removed, characterized by readily absorbing water and becoming soft when wet while retaining toughness: used in bathing, in wiping or cleaning surfaces, etc.

3. any of various other similar substances, often porous rubber or cellulose, used for washing or cleaning.

4. sponge bath.

5. a person or thing that absorbs something freely.

   His mind is a sponge gathering historical data.

6. a person who persistently borrows from or lives at the expense of others; sponger; parasite.

   Synonyms:

   leech

7. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.

8. Metallurgy. a porous mass of metallic particles, as of platinum, obtained by the reduction of an oxide or purified compound at a temperature below the melting point.

9. Surgery. a sterile surgical dressing of absorbent material, usually cotton gauze, for wiping or absorbing pus, blood, or other fluids during a surgical operation.

10. Cooking.

    1. dough raised with yeast, especially before kneading, as for bread.

    2. a light, sweet pudding of a porous texture, made with gelatin, eggs, fruit juice or other flavoring material, etc.

11. a disposable piece of polyurethane foam permeated with a spermicide for insertion into the vagina as a contraceptive.

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verb (used with object)

sponges, present (3rd person singular) sponged, past participle, past sponging present participle

1. to wipe or rub with or as with a wet sponge, as to moisten or clean.

   Synonyms:

   wash

2. to remove with or as with a wet sponge (usually followed by off, away, etc.).

3. to wipe out or efface with or as with a sponge (often followed byout ).

4. to take up or absorb with or as with a sponge (often followed byup ).

   to sponge up water.

5. to borrow, use, or obtain by imposing on another's good nature, friendship, hospitality, or the like.

   He sponged 40 bucks from his friend and went to the city.

6. Ceramics. to decorate (a ceramic object) by dabbing at it with a sponge soaked with color.

verb (used without object)

sponges, present (3rd person singular) sponged, past participle, past sponging present participle

1. to take in or soak up liquid by absorption.

2. to gather sponges.

3. to live at the expense of others (often followed by on oroff ).

   He came back home and sponged off his family for a while.

idioms

1. throw in the sponge, to concede defeat; yield; give up.

   The early election returns were heavily against him, but he wasn't ready to throw in the sponge.

sponge British  

/ spʌndʒ /

noun

1. any multicellular typically marine animal of the phylum Porifera, usually occurring in complex sessile colonies in which the porous body is supported by a fibrous, calcareous, or siliceous skeletal framework

2. a piece of the light porous highly absorbent elastic skeleton of certain sponges, used in bathing, cleaning, etc See also spongin

3. any of a number of light porous elastic materials resembling a sponge

4. another word for sponger

5. informal a person who indulges in heavy drinking

6. leavened dough, esp before kneading

7. See sponge cake

8. Also called: sponge pudding.  a light steamed or baked pudding, spongy in texture, made with various flavourings or fruit

9. porous metal produced by electrolysis or by reducing a metal compound without fusion or sintering and capable of absorbing large quantities of gas

   platinum sponge

10. a rub with a sponge

11. See throw in

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verb

1. (tr; often foll by off or down) to clean (something) by wiping or rubbing with a damp or wet sponge

2. (tr; usually foll by off, away, out, etc) to remove (marks, etc) by rubbing with a damp or wet sponge or cloth

3. to absorb (liquids, esp when spilt) in the manner of a sponge

4. to get (something) from (someone) by presuming on his generosity

   to sponge a meal off someone

5. (intr; often foll by off or on) to obtain one's subsistence, welfare, etc, unjustifiably (from)

   he sponges off his friends

6. (intr) to go collecting sponges

sponge Scientific  

/ spŭnj /

1. Any of numerous aquatic, chiefly marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Porifera. Sponges characteristically have a porous skeleton, usually containing an intricate system of canals, that is composed of fibrous material or siliceous or calcareous spicules. Water passing through the pores brings food to the organism. Sponges live in all depths of the sea, are sessile, and often form irregularly shaped colonies attached to an underwater surface. Sponges are considered the most primitive members of the animal kingdom, since they lack a nervous system and differentiated body tissues or organs. Adults do not have moving parts, but the larvae are free-swimming. Sponges have great regenerative capacities, with some species able to regenerate a complete adult organism from fragments as small as a single cell. Sponges first appear during the early Cambrian Period and may have evolved from protozoa.

2. Also called poriferan

3. See Note at regeneration

4. The light, fibrous, flexible, absorbent skeleton of certain of these organisms, used for bathing, cleaning, and other purposes.

5. A piece of porous plastic, rubber, cellulose, or other material, similar in absorbency to this skeleton and used for the same purposes.

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sponge More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sponge

• throw in the sponge

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spongeless
  adjective
• spongelike
  adjective
• unsponged
  adjective
• spongingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sponges
  plural

Participles

• sponging
  present
• sponged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sponge
  simple
• sponges
  simple
• have sponged
  perfect
• has sponged
  perfect
• am sponging
  progressive
• are sponging
  progressive
• is sponging
  progressive
• have been sponging
  perfect progressive
• has been sponging
  perfect progressive

Past

• sponged
  simple
• had sponged
  perfect
• was sponging
  progressive
• were sponging
  progressive
• had been sponging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sponge
  simple
• will have sponged
  perfect
• will be sponging
  progressive
• will have been sponging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sponge

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun sponge, spunge, spounge, Old English noun sponge, spunge, from Latin spongia, spongea, from Greek spongiā́; verb from the noun

Explanation

A sponge has holes and soaks up liquid. One kind of sponge is a water-dwelling animal with a soft body and an asymmetrical shape. But the kind of sponge you use to clean the kitchen is usually man-made. The sponge in the kitchen or bath looks a bit like the kind that grows in the ocean, porous and soft. Originally, those sponges were made from dried sea sponge, but it's more common these days for them to be manufactured. If you absorb knowledge or information easily, people may call you a sponge. And if you live off someone else's generosity, taking handouts and giving nothing in return, you sponge off of them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sponge sponges sponged sponging

“It’s one that can work as a sponge when there is a flood or respond in the right way when there is a drought.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

It will occupy an area partly covered in a marshy oasis, or "vega," which acts as a natural sponge.

From Barron's ● May 23, 2026

A cool sponge or piece of clothing soaked in water and placed under the armpits or on the neck can help to cool someone.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

He is both the 20-year-old sponge we all know — and were — and someone decidedly different.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

He began to scrape at his hands, running the rough side of the sponge over his fingers.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Tommy, who used acrylic paint and a mixture of brushes and sponges to achieve different textures, said: 'I just wanted to make something colourful, plus feet are easier to draw than faces!

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

A new study led by researchers at the University of Bonn examined how many tiny plastic particles are released from sponges during everyday dishwashing and what impact those particles have on the environment.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

They also conducted controlled laboratory experiments using an automated testing system known as "SpongeBot," which reproduces the mechanical stress that sponges experience during dishwashing.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

The “underwater city” of a barrier reef bustles with activity, with vibrantly patterned fish darting busily between corals and sea sponges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

As humble a product as it was, sponges were extremely important to those who bought them and profitable to those who harvested them.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

“Michael sort of sponged off of Gary,” Wellman said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025

The magnesium had an unexpected beneficial effect: It "sponged out" inadvertent impurities in the tantalum and, as a result, raised the temperature at which it operates as a superconductor.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024

Pastor Pam and Jen lowered me gently to the ground, a kneeling, knowledgeable Officer K sponged me to consciousness and remained with me until the Fire Department arrived.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 8, 2022

Maintenance and repairs sponged up dollars so fast that had lawmakers not acted, no money would have been left for new construction or even to unlock federal matching grants.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2022

She washed everything she could bend enough to get into a tub and sponged the rest.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Alice spends her days cleaning Lady Jemima’s stinky shoes, sponging her underwear and greasing her long blonde hair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Dr. Jay has studied the body’s responses to sitting near an electric fan, wearing wetted clothing and sponging down with water.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2022

I’ve got her stool and her bucket and her towel, and I’m sponging her off on a nightly basis, sending her back into the fray.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2022

It was Herder who called Europe’s voracious expansionism worldwide “the grand European sponging enterprise.”

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2018

Aunt Loma arrived to fix our breakfast and then took over the sponging so we could eat, but we all carried our plates to the sickroom.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• boozer
• drunk
• rummy
• tippler
• wino