sponge

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable) Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
2. (countable) A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).
3. (uncountable) The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.
4. (countable, informal, uncountable) A heavy drinker.
5. (countable, uncountable) A type of light cake.
6. (British, countable, uncountable) A type of steamed pudding.
7. (countable, slang, uncountable) 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).
8. (countable, uncountable) A person who readily absorbs ideas.
9. (countable) A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.
10. (countable, uncountable) Any sponge-like substance.
11. (countable, uncountable) Any sponge-like substance.
12. (countable, uncountable) Any sponge-like substance.
13. (countable, uncountable) 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.
14. (countable, uncountable) The extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, corresponding to the heel.
15. (countable, slang, uncountable) A nuclear power plant worker routinely exposed to radiation.

Verb

1. (intransitive, slang) To take advantage of the kindness of others.
2. (transitive) To get by imposition; to scrounge.
3. (transitive) To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition.
4. To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.
5. To suck in, or imbibe, like a sponge.
6. To wipe out with a sponge, as letters or writing; to efface; to destroy all trace of.
7. (intransitive) To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast or leaven.
8. To use a piece of wild sponge as a tool when foraging for food.

Synonyms

parasite

sponger

cadge

poriferan

leech

parazoan

foam rubber

spongia

brush

loofah

freeloader

mop

coral

🪸

bum

quick study

mooch

grub

soaker

sponge-cake

swab

swell up

sycophant

toady

tool

wipe off

porous material

porosint

swab down

eadge

black morel

cellular material

beg

foamed materials

bread

🍞

clean

crave

dust

efface

foam material

freeload

hanger-on

loofa

mop up

obliterate

rag

remove

scrounge

scrounger

scrubber

Translations

éponge

🧽

Schwamm

🧽

spugna

🧽

esponja

🧽

spons

🧽

esponja

🧽

esponja

🧽

σφουγγάρι

sünger

🧽

afsponzen

éponger

🧽

σφογγίζω

Badeschwamm

سَفِنْج

Pronounced as (IPA)

/spʌnd͡ʒ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: sponge

Inherited from Old English: spunge

In summary

From Middle English sponge, from Old English spunge, taken from Latin spongia, from Ancient Greek σπογγιά (spongiá), from σπόγγος (spóngos).