sponge

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

• enPR: spŭnj, IPA^(key): /spʌnd͡ʒ/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ʌndʒ

sponge (countable and uncountable, plural sponges)

1. (countable) Any of various marine invertebrates, mostly of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.

   Synonyms: sea sponge, bath sponge, poriferan, porifer

2. (countable) A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).

   Synonym: bath sponge

   • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎:

     She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.

3. (uncountable) A porous material such as sponges consist of.
4. (informal) A heavy drinker.

   Synonyms: souse, swill-pot; see also Thesaurus:drunkard

5. (countable, uncountable) A type of light cake.

   Synonym: sponge cake

6. (countable, uncountable, Britain) A type of steamed pudding.

   Synonym: sponge pudding

7. (slang) 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).

   Synonyms: freeloader, sponger; see also Thesaurus:scrounger

8. (countable) A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.
9. Any sponge-like substance.
   1. (baking) Dough before it is kneaded and formed into loaves, and after it is converted into a light, spongy mass by the agency of the yeast or leaven.
   2. Iron from the puddling furnace, in a pasty condition.
   3. Iron ore, in masses, reduced but not melted or worked.
10. 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.
11. The extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, corresponding to the heel.

• → Hindi: स्पंज (spañj)
• → Japanese: スポンジ (suponji)
• → Korean: 스펀지 (seupeonji)
• → Pashto: سپنج‎ (spanj)
• → Welsh: spynj

• foam

sponge (third-person singular simple present sponges, present participle sponging, simple past and past participle sponged)

1. (intransitive, slang) To take advantage of the kindness of others.
   • L'Estrange

     The fly is an intruder, and a common smell-feast, that sponges upon other people's trenchers.

   He has been sponging off his friends for a month now.

2. (transitive, intransitive with on or upon) To get by imposition; to scrounge.

   Synonym: blag

   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 13, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     “[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.

     (Can we find and add a quotation of Jonathan Swift to this entry?)

   to sponge a breakfast

3. (transitive) To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition.
   • South

     How came such multitudes of our nation […] to be sponged of their plate and their money?

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.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hooker to this entry?)

7. (intransitive, baking) To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast or leaven.

• sponge on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• pengos, pengős