sponge

noun

/spʌndʒ/

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[countable] a piece of artificial or natural material that is soft and light and full of holes and can hold water easily, used for washing or cleaning
- a bath sponge (= to wash your body with in the bath)
- (figurative) His mind was like a sponge, ready to absorb anything.
- Wipe the surface with a damp sponge.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- damp
- wet
- dry
- …
verb + sponge
- squeeze
- squeeze out
sponge + verb
- absorb something
- fill with something
- soak something up
- …
preposition
- with a/the sponge
See full entry
[uncountable] artificial sponge used for filling furniture, cushions, etc.
[countable] a simple sea creature with a light body full of holes, from which natural sponge is obtainedTopics Fish and shellfishc2
(British English)
(also sponge cake British and North American English)
[countable, uncountable] a light cake or hot dessert made from eggs, sugar and flour, with or without fat
- a chocolate sponge
see also Victoria sponge

Word OriginOld English (in sense 1 of the noun), via Latin from Greek spongia, later form of spongos, reinforced in Middle English by Old French esponge.

sponge

verb

/spʌndʒ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they sponge	/spʌndʒ/ /spʌndʒ/
he / she / it sponges	/ˈspʌndʒɪz/ /ˈspʌndʒɪz/
past simple sponged	/spʌndʒd/ /spʌndʒd/
past participle sponged	/spʌndʒd/ /spʌndʒd/
-ing form sponging	/ˈspʌndʒɪŋ/ /ˈspʌndʒɪŋ/

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[transitive] sponge somebody/yourself/something (down) to wash somebody/yourself/something with a wet cloth or sponge synonym wipe
- She sponged his hot face.
- Take your jacket off and I'll sponge it down with water.
[transitive] sponge something + adv./prep. to remove something using a wet cloth or sponge synonym wash
- We tried to sponge the blood off my shirt.
[intransitive] sponge (off/on somebody) (informal, disapproving) to get money, food, etc. regularly from other people without doing anything for them or offering to pay synonym scrounge
- He spent his life sponging off his relatives.

Word OriginOld English (in sense 1 of the noun), via Latin from Greek spongia, later form of spongos, reinforced in Middle English by Old French esponge.