Definition of sponge in English

WordNet

Noun Plural: sponges
sponge - a porous mass of interlacing fibers that forms the internal skeleton of various marine animals and usable to absorb water or any porous rubber or cellulose product similarly used
		absorbent, absorbent material a material having capacity or tendency to absorb another substance
sponge - primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework; usually occurs in sessile colonies
		poriferan, parazoan
		invertebrate any animal lacking a backbone or notochord; the term is not used as a scientific classification
		phylum porifera, porifera coextensive with the subkingdom Parazoa: sponges
sponge - a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage
		leech, parasite, sponger
		follower a person who accepts the leadership of another
sponge - someone able to acquire new knowledge and skills rapidly and easily; "she soaks up foreign languages like a sponge"
		quick study
Verb sponges, sponging, sponged
sponge - gather sponges, in the ocean
		pull together, garner, collect, gather store grain
sponge - wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
		wipe, pass over rub with a circular motion; "wipe the blackboard"; "He passed his hands over the soft cloth"
sponge - soak up with a sponge
		wipe up, mop, mop up to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop; "Mop the hallway now"; "He mopped her forehead with a towel"
sponge - erase with a sponge; as of words on a blackboard
		rub out, score out, wipe off, efface, erase remove by wiping
sponge - ask for and get free; be a parasite
		mooch, bum, cadge, grub
		obtain come into possession of; "How did you obtain the visa?"
		freeload live off somebody's generosity; "This young man refuses to work and is freeloading"

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Wiktionary

sponge (Noun)
Any of various marine invertebrates, mostly of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
sponge (Noun)
A piece of porous material used for washing originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic.
sponge (Noun)
A porous material such as sponges consist of.
sponge (Noun)
A heavy drinker.
sponge (Noun)
A type of light cake; sponge cake .
sponge (Noun)
A type of steamed pudding.
sponge (Noun)
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.
sponge (Noun)
A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge .
sponge (Verb)
To take advantage of the kindness of others.
sponge (Verb)
To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.
sponge (Verb)
To suck in, or imbibe, like a sponge.
sponge (Verb)
To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast or leaven.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

sponge (n.)
Any one of numerous species of Spongiae, or Porifera. See Illust. and Note under Spongiae.
sponge (n.)
The elastic fibrous skeleton of many species of horny Spongiae (keratosa), used for many purposes, especially the varieties of the genus Spongia. The most valuable sponges are found in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and on the coasts of Florida and the West Indies.
sponge (n.)
One who lives upon others; a pertinaceous and indolent dependent; a parasite; a sponger.
sponge (n.)
Any spongelike substance.
sponge (n.)
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.
sponge (n.)
Iron from the puddling furnace, in a pasty condition.
sponge (n.)
Iron ore, in masses, reduced but not melted or worked.
sponge (n.)
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.
sponge (n.)
The extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, answering to the heel.
sponge (v. t.)
To cleanse or wipe with a sponge; as, to sponge a slate or a cannon; to wet with a sponge; as, to sponge cloth.
sponge (v. t.)
To wipe out with a sponge, as letters or writing; to efface; to destroy all trace of.
sponge (v. t.)
Fig.: To deprive of something by imposition.
sponge (v. t.)
Fig.: To get by imposition or mean arts without cost; as, to sponge a breakfast.
sponge (v. i.)
To suck in, or imbile, as a sponge.
sponge (v. i.)
Fig.: To gain by mean arts, by intrusion, or hanging on; as, an idler sponges on his neighbor.
sponge (v. i.)
To be converted, as dough, into a light, spongy mass by the agency of yeast, or leaven.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

sponge
An member of any of the species belonging to the phylum Porifera. They are marine porous animals.
sponge
A piece of porous material used for washing.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

sponge
spunj, n. a fixed, usually marine, animal with pores in the body-wall and without tentacles: the fibrous framework of such, remarkable for its power of sucking up water: any sponge-like substance, as dough before it is kneaded and formed: any cringing hanger-on or parasite, a drunken fellow: an instrument for cleaning cannon after a discharge: the heel of a horse's shoe.—v.t. to wipe with a sponge: to wipe out, absorb up, with a sponge: to wipe out completely: to destroy.—v.i. to suck in, as a sponge: to gain by mean tricks, to live on others by some mean subterfuge or other.—ns. Sponge′cake, a very light sweet cake of flour, eggs, and sugar; Sponge′let, a little sponge.—adjs. Sponge′ous, Spon′giōse, Spongiolit′ic.—n. Spong′er, one who uses a sponge: a person or vessel engaged in fishing for sponges: an apparatus for sponging cloth by means of a perforated adjustable cylinder: a sponge or parasite.—adjs. Spongic′olous, inhabiting sponges; Spong′iform, resembling a sponge: porous.—ns. Spong′iness, porous quality; Spong′ing-house, a bailiff's lodging-house for debtors in his custody before their committal to prison; Spon′giōle, the spongy tissue of a root-tip; Spon′giolite, a fossil sponge spicule.—adj. Spongoid (spong′goid).—ns. Spongologist (spong-gol′ō-jist), one devoted to the study of sponges; Spongology (spong-gol′ō-ji), the knowledge about sponges.—adj. Spong′y, like a sponge, absorptive: of open texture, porous: wet and soft: drunken.—Set a sponge, to leaven a small mass of dough with which to leaven a large quantity; Throw up the sponge, to acknowledge defeat by throwing into the air the sponge with which a boxer is rubbed down between rounds: to give up any contest. [O. Fr. esponge—L. spongia—Gr. sponggia.]

Military DictionaryMilitary Dictionary and Gazetteer 💥

sponge
See IMPLEMENTS.

Wikipedia

A sponge is a very simple kind of animal. It lives in the ocean. It has quite a few channels, which grow thinner all the time. It feeds from pumping water through, and lives off what is in that water. It is a filter feeder. Sponges are stationary, they are fixed to some kind of support. The larvae of the sponges can move about, though. The tissue of the sponges has very little structure. There are no organs, no nerves, no muscles and no brain.

There are over 5000 different kinds of sponges currently known. Sponges can be found from the tidal zone to the abysmal zone, to a depth of about 8,500 meters.

All sponges have a distinct sex, or they are hermaphrodites. They can reproduce both sexually and asexually.

People have used sponges (collected and dried) for a long time. They usually wash with a sponge.

Different kinds of sponges.

There are 3 different kinds of sponges. The difference between these kinds is in how their skeleton is made.

Demosponges.

This class contains most of the sponges. The sponges in this class make their skeleton from spongin. Spongin is a special protein. All the large sponges are in this order.

Bony sponges.

The first kind is the sponges that use calcium-carbonate to make the skeleton, their internal hard structure. They are known as "Calcarea". They are usually very small, only 3-4 inches in height. Of the about 15.000 sponges known, about 400 are Calcarea.

Glass sponges.

The second kind of sponges use silicon dioxide to make their skeletons. They are
tool
A Sponge is a tool. It is used for cleaning and washing. The sponge is made of a special material, with many holes. By rubbing the sponge against dirt, the dirt can be removed.

Today, there are also artificial sponges.

Natural sponges for cleaning.

Most natural sponges used for cleaning today come from the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Today Izmir and Tripolis are the main markets were natural sponges are sold.

Antibiotic compounds.

Sponges have medicinal potential. This is because of antimicrobial compounds in either the sponge itself or their microbial symbionts.

Dolphin use sponges.

Bottlenose dolphins have been seen using live sponges. This was in Shark Bay. Shark bay is in Western Australia. The behaviour has only been observed in the bay. Most likely adult dolphins teach it to their children. The only other marine mammals that use tools are Sea otters.