soak up

phrasal verb

soaked up; soaking up; soaks up

1

: to take in (liquid) : absorb

The rag soaked up most of the water.

2

: to enjoy feeling or experiencing (something pleasant) in usually a slow or relaxed way

We went to the beach and soaked up the sun/sunshine all afternoon.

I sat at my table for an hour soaking up the atmosphere of the café.

The performers stood on the stage, soaking up the applause.

3

: to learn and remember (something) quickly

He eagerly soaked up every word she said.

She has an ability to soak up new information very quickly.

4

: to use a large amount of (money, supplies, etc.)

This project is soaking up resources that could be used elsewhere.

Examples of soak up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sheryl Crow wants to have some fun and is known to soak up the sun, but now she's done with Elon Musk. —Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2025

Swain talks about a hotter atmosphere as a bigger sponge, one that soaks up seven percent more water for every one Celsius degree of warming. —Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2025

Based on new research by scientists at the Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group (PBM) at Ghent University in Belgium, one solution is to trap the water inside an advanced super-absorbent polymer (SAP) that soaks up water like nobody's business. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 11 Feb. 2025

Prep Your Vase To make cut roses last as long as possible, two of the most important keys are avoiding bacterial growth and making sure the stems can soak up as much water as possible. —Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025