sponger

[spuhn-jer]

noun

1. a person or thing that sponges.

2. a person who habitually borrows or lives at the expense of others; parasite.

3. a person or boat engaged in gathering sponges.

sponger

/ ˈspʌndʒə /

noun

1. informal,  a person who lives off other people by continually taking advantage of their generosity; parasite or scrounger

2. a person or ship employed in collecting sponges

Word History and Origins

Origin of sponger¹

First recorded in 1670–80; sponge + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Slow Poke, a sponger, was our first customer.

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Kinetic impact projectiles include rubber, plastic, wooden, and “sponger” bullets, which are shot from launchers and guns.

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Protesters have also been hit by a variety of rubber, plastic, and “sponger” bullets.

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Given that Magnus is a sponger, a con man, Catholic convert and gay, he comes across as a second cousin to that comparably fascinating outcast, Frederick Rolfe, the self-styled Baron Corvo.

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Migrants fleeing violence or seeking a better life in the US were reframed through Trump’s racist prism as an unstoppable torrent of dark-skinned psychopaths and spongers.

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Related Words

• seducer