sponge

Word family

Related topics: Daily life, Animals, Food, Food, dish

sponge1 /spʌndʒ/ noun

[countableC, uncountableU]DWASH a piece of a soft natural or artificial substance full of small holes, which can suck up liquid and is used for washing 〔擦洗用的〕海绵（块）

2. [countableC]HBA a simple sea creature from which natural sponge is produced 海绵〔一种海洋生物〕

3. [singular] British EnglishBrEWASH an act of washing something with a sponge 用海绵擦拭

4 [countableC, uncountableU] British EnglishBrEDF a light cake made from flour, sugar, butter, and eggs 海绵蛋糕

a Victoria sponge

维多利亚海绵蛋糕

5. [countableC]ASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO something a sponger 吃白食的人，揩油者

Examples from the Corpus

sponge• I felt like a sponge full of unshed tears.• She picked up a sponge and began cleaning the edges of the sink.• Use a sponge to clean up the excess water.• They leave reality to the grunts, who face bullets from AK-47s, not flying sponges.• As promised, I will not explain my change within the Fluval 2, using a Polyfilter to replace the sponge.

sponge2 verb

1 (also sponge down) [transitiveT]WASH to wash something with a wet cloth or sponge 用湿布[海绵]擦洗

Clean the rug by sponging it gently.

用湿布轻轻擦洗以清洁小地毯。

She stood on the bath mat and sponged herself down.

她站在浴室踏脚垫上，用海绵擦身子。

2 [intransitiveI] informalASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO something to get money, free meals etc from other people, without doing anything for them – used to show disapproval 吃白食，揩油〔含贬义〕

sponge off/on

These people are just sponging off the taxpayers.

这些人就是在白吃纳税人的钱粮。

3 [transitiveT always + adverbadv/prepositionprep]REMOVE to remove liquid or a mark with a wet cloth or sponge 用湿布[海绵]吸掉〔液体〕，用湿布[海绵]揩掉〔斑点〕

sponge something off (something)

I’ll go and sponge this juice off my dress.

我要去把我连衣裙上的果汁揩掉。

4 [transitiveT] to put paint on a surface using a sponge 用海绵抹上〔油漆〕

sponge something on (something)

Just sponge the paint on, like this.

用海绵把油漆涂上去，就像这样。

Examples from the Corpus

sponge• It happened that some flakes of fire had entered the muzzle of one of the guns after it was sponged.• Victoria's mucky bib came off her flower-sprigged Viyella dress and the chocolate pudding was sponged from her face.• Wearily, she sponged her torso and stomach, cleaning her wounds.• Jazzbeaux stepped under the shower, and sponged her wounds.• They did it together, soaping, sponging, laughing with the warm sudsy water sensuous against them.• When I opened my eyes, Polly was sponging my face and neck.• Even the sounds here were dry and brittle; she longed for sounds that were sponged up by green moss.• These areas can also be sponged with warm water if necessary.

sponge off/on• An attendant from the tabernacle came along with a bucket and a sponge on a stick.• If growth still forms too rapidly, try placing some well-washed pieces of commercial sponge on the bottom.• Later, I helped her sponge off the caked blood.

Origin sponge1

(1000-1100) Latin spongia, from Greek

sponge1 nounsponge2 verb

Chinese

Corpus