sponging

verb

Definition of spongingnext
present participle of sponge
1
as in drinking
to take in (something liquid) through small openings the ground quickly sponged up the much-needed rain

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in begging
to live by relying on someone else's generosity or hospitality without sharing in the cost or responsibility she's been sponging off of her friends while she tries to land an entry-level job on Wall Street

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sponging
  1. drinking
  2. begging
  3. absorbing
Verb
  • Health officials in California's Marin County said the child experienced fever and vomiting after drinking the unpasteurized milk and warned others against consuming any raw milk products.
    Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024
  • The child went to a local emergency department in November with fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk and tested positive for influenza A, the county said.
    Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of drinking
Verb
  • People were begging me to cut it down.
    Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Literally begging any of these idiots to understand how the internet works.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of begging
Verb
  • Patients can’t continue absorbing these unnecessary costs, and physicians like me are increasingly frustrated by how hospital consolidation undermines our ability to provide affordable, high-quality care.
    Lisa Abrams, Baltimore Sun, 11 Dec. 2024
  • This unique construction method allows for a material that retains the hardness and scratch-resistance of ceramic while gaining the shock-absorbing properties of fiberglass.
    Bhanu Chopra, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of absorbing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near sponging

sponges

sponging

spongy

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Cite this Entry

“Sponging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sponging. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sponging

Nglish: Translation of sponging for Spanish Speakers

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