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sponge

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sponge

  • /spʌnd͡ʒ/

Rhymes with -ʌndʒ

Where it comes from

From Middle English sponge, from Old English spunge, taken from Latin spongia, from Ancient Greek σπογγιά (spongiá), from σπόγγος (spóngos). Displaced native Old English swamm (“fungus, sponge”).

noun sponges

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

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 countable A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).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

    Similar: bath sponge

  3. uncountable The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.
  4. countable, informal, uncountable A heavy drinker.

    Similar: souse, swill-pot, alco, alcoholic, alkie, bacchanal, bacchant, barfly, bibber, booze artist, boozehound, boozer

  5. countable, uncountable A type of light cake. After six hours of work I got this amazing sponge with fresh strawberries, crème fraîche, crème chantilly, custard, crumble and meringues, something quite rich and outstanding.

    Similar: sponge cake

  6. UK, countable, uncountable A type of steamed pudding.

    Similar: sponge 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).

    Similar: freeloader, sponger, bloodsucker, bludger, bummer, free rider, gadfly, leech, mooch, moocher, parasite, scrounge

  8. countable, uncountable A person who readily absorbs ideas. For this reason, we need to think of our children as sponges of information and watch their sources carefully. We also need to always model appropriate behaviour, as we are a constant source of new information.
  9. countable A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.
  10. countable, uncountable 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.
  11. countable, uncountable Iron from the puddling furnace, in a pasty condition.
  12. countable, uncountable Iron ore, in masses, reduced but not melted or worked.
  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. The great guns ranged along the deck — each bound fast by its new breechings — with their linstocks and sponges and ladles and rammers, made no idle show of warlike strength.
  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 sponges · sponging · sponged

  1. intransitive, slang To take advantage of the kindness of others. The fly is an intruder, and a common smell-feast, that spunges upon other Peoples Trenchers.
  2. transitive To get by imposition; to scrounge. “[…] 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.

    Similar: blag

  3. transitive To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition. 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. Before stepping into the bath the head should be wet with cold water, and in the bath the pit of the stomach should first be sponged.
  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. Lett the eyes which have looked on Idols, sponge out their unlawfull acts
  7. intransitive To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast or leaven.
  8. of dolphins To use a piece of wild sponge as a tool when foraging for food. Why do dolphins sponge instead of foraging in a more "normal" way?

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: poriferan, parazoan, leech, grub, cadge, bum, mooch, parasite, minion, chameleon, parasitic, probang, loofah, blot, towel, mop

Translations

Every language

noun porous material

Ελληνικάσφουγγάρι sfoungári
Русскийгу́бка gúbka

noun marine invertebrate

Españolesponja
한국어갯솜 gaetsom, 스펀지 seupeonji, 해면 haemyeon
日本語海綿 kaimen
中文海綿 /海绵 hǎimián
हिन्दीस्पंज spañj, इस्फ़ंज isfañj, इसपंज ispañj
Portuguêsesponja
Françaiséponge
DeutschSchwamm
Italianospugna
Ελληνικάσφουγγάρι sfoungári
Românăburete, spongie
Русскийгу́бка gúbka
Tiếng Việtbọt biển
العربيةإِسْفَنْج ʔisfanj
עבריתסְפוֹג sfog

noun piece of porous material used for washing

Españolesponja
한국어스펀지 seupeonji
日本語スポンジ suponji
中文海綿 /海绵 hǎimián
हिन्दीस्पंज spañj
Kiswahilisifongo, sponji
Portuguêsesponja
Françaiséponge
DeutschSchwamm
Italianospugna
Ελληνικάσφουγγάρι sfoungári
Românăburete
Русскийгу́бка gúbka, моча́лка močálka
Tiếng Việtbọt biển
العربيةسَفِنْج safing
עבריתסְפוֹג sfog

noun informal: heavy drinker

Françaisivrogne, soulard
Italianospugna

noun slang: person who takes advantage of the generosity of others

Españolcafiche, gorrón
DeutschSchnorrer
Русскийпарази́т parazít, нахле́бник naxlébnik, тунея́дец tunejádec, дармое́д darmojéd, прижива́л priživál

noun mop for cleaning the bore of a cannon

Русскийба́нник bánnik

verb to take advantage of others

Españolcafichear, gorronear, gallofear, comer la sopa boba
Deutschschnorren
Русскийпаразити́ровать parazitírovatʹ, «соса́ть», «дои́ть»

verb to clean with a sponge

Françaiséponger
Ελληνικάσφογγίζω sfongízo
Русскийчи́стить гу́бкой čístitʹ gúbkoj
עבריתספג safág

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Cite this
MLA

"sponge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sponge. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sponge. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sponge

Chicago

"sponge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sponge.

BibTeX
@misc{sponge_2026,
  title = {sponge},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sponge},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}