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Synonyms

throw in the sponge

Idioms  

  1. Also, throw in the towel. Give up, acknowledge defeat, as in I can't move this rock; I'm throwing in the sponge, or Bill decided to throw in the towel and resign from his job. This idiom comes from boxing, where formerly a fighter (or his second) conceded defeat by throwing the sponge or towel used to wipe his face into the ring. [c. 1900]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ever since Depression II, Street sages have guessed at Pierce's losses, wondered when he would start dismantling offices or throw in the sponge.

From Time Magazine Archive

So why not throw in the sponge on Laetrile?

From Time Magazine Archive

The stockholders, ready to throw in the sponge, voted to liquidate.

From Time Magazine Archive

Retired Escondido, Calif. Some men would have been ready to throw in the sponge.

From Time Magazine Archive

Maybe the Politburo had decided to throw in the sponge.

From Second Variety by Dick, Philip K.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.