sponge🔊

Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum (phylum), that have a porous skeleton often of silica. +

A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).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

The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.

(informal) A heavy drinker. +

A type of light cake. +

(British) A type of steamed pudding. +

(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). +

A person who readily absorbs ideas.

A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.

Any sponge-like substance.

(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.

Iron from the puddling furnace, in a pasty condition.

Iron ore, in masses, reduced but not melted or worked.

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 extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, corresponding to the heel.

(slang) A nuclear power plant worker routinely exposed to radiation.

(slang) To take advantage of the kindness of others.

(with ''on'' or ''upon'') To get by imposition; to scrounge. +

To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition.

To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.

To suck in, or imbibe, like a sponge.

To wipe out with a sponge, as letters or writing; to efface; to destroy all trace of.

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

(of dolphins) To use a piece of wild sponge as a tool when foraging for food.