sponge

[spuhnj]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

sponged, sponging 

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)

sponged, sponging 

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.

sponge

/ 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

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

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sponge¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sponge¹

Old English, from Latin spongia, from Greek

Idioms and Phrases

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.

More idioms and phrases containing sponge

• throw in the sponge

Example Sentences

When asked how he feels to be immortalized as a sculpted sponge cake with coconut lime mousse, he doesn’t flinch.

From Los Angeles Times

Yankovic is a “pop culture sponge” and has always listened to various music genres, first for pleasure and then for work.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Hawes, who was a chef and a baker on aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, will make Mr Shelley's birthday cake – a Victoria sponge.

From BBC

The diver, a graduate student, was using sponges to collect DNA samples from the ocean floor.

From Los Angeles Times

“She’s like a sponge,” he says, adding that she also can be her own harshest critic.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boozer 
• drunk 
• rummy 
• tippler 
• wino