🧽 A soft cleaner 🧠 Quick learner 🌊 A sea animal 🙄 A freeloader 🙄 To live off others 🧽 To wipe clean 🌊 To collect sponges

sponge

5 7.2

A person who takes others' food or help without giving back

noun
/spʌndʒ/

Offensive

: gorrón

She always invites her friends over, but one of them just acts like a sponge by eating all her food without offering any help.
call someone a sponge

Examples

He is such a sponge, constantly taking money from his parents without ever contributing anything to the household.
Many people view him as a sponge because he never pays for his share when they go out to dinner.
Oh man, that guy is a sponge.

A Feast of Man (2016)
Somebody who sponges off of others.
We will continue to believe that most Americans are dirty sponges who only want free stuff.

Blog text (9)
I am not one who believes that people on medical disability are sponges or freeloaders taking advantage of government freebies.

Blog text (1)

Synonyms

parasite

vssponge

Offensive

60 5.9

A person who lives off others and gives nothing in return

focuses on taking advantage of kindness or hospitality rather than selfish exploiting

freeloader

vssponge

Offensive

27 6.1

A person who takes help or gifts without giving anything back

focuses on taking advantage of hospitality and hosts specifically

moocher

vssponge

Offensive

14 8.3

A person who often gets food or money without paying

focuses on exploiting hospitality and kindness rather than mere requests for goods

leech

vssponge

Offensive

9 8.1

A person who takes advantage of others and gives nothing in return

describes taking advantage of generosity or hospitality without focusing on harm

mooch

vssponge

Offensive

7 8.8

A person who often gets free food or money from others without paying

is a general term for taking advantage of hospitality and generosity

scrounger

vssponge

Offensive

1 7.6

A person who gets food or money from others without paying

is about taking advantage of hospitality and kindness rather than just getting free items

schnorrer

vssponge

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who often asks others for money or food without giving anything back

is broader, covering taking advantage of hospitality as well as requests for items

sponger

vssponge

Offensive

1 8.2

A person who depends on others without giving anything back

is about habitually taking advantage of generosity or hospitality

imposer

vssponge

Offensive

7.9

A person who takes advantage of others' kindness without giving anything back

focuses on habitual taking without offering anything in return

shnorrer

vssponge

Offensive

9.9

A person who always asks for free things and never gives anything back

focuses on taking advantage of hospitality as general behaviour not only free goods

taker-backer

vssponge

Offensive

9.9

A person who takes help or credit but does not help others

is mainly about taking advantage of kindness and hospitality repeatedly

bogard

vssponge

Offensive

9.9

A person who takes or keeps things that should be shared

focuses on benefiting from others' generosity or hospitality rather than hoarding shared items

Antonyms

giver

56 1.0

A person who offers money or help to others without asking for anything back

Idioms

to chuck up the sponge

9.9

To stop trying because it seems pointless

Compounds

sponge bath

15 3.2

Washing the body with a wet cloth without using a shower or bath

sponge cake

7 1.8

A light, airy cake that uses eggs, flour and sugar without butter or oil

loufah sponge

1 6.3

A natural pad of dried plant fibers from a luffa fruit used for washing skin or dishes

fun sponge

Offensive

7.8

A person who stops others from having fun by complaining

Madeira sponge

8.1

A rich sponge cake often served with a glass of wine

glass sponge

Specialized

8.8

A sea animal with a skeleton of thin glass-like threads that lives on the ocean floor

sponge filter

Specialized

3.0

A soft sponge in a fish tank that traps dirt and adds air while letting good bacteria grow

sponge gourd

9.1

A climbing plant whose young fruits are edible and whose dried mature fruit makes a natural sponge

sponge mop

2.1

A mop with a soft sponge on a handle that soaks up water to clean floors

sponge morel

8.9

An edible mushroom with a cap of pits and ridges used in cooking

sponge mushroom

7.6

A mushroom you can eat with a soft, sponge-like head covered in pits and ridges

sponge bag

3.9

A small waterproof bag for carrying soap and toothpaste when travelling

sponge cloth

3.2

A soft cloth that soaks up water for cleaning and drying surfaces

vanilla sponge cake

1.0

A light, soft cake flavored with vanilla

vegetable sponge

7.5

A plant fruit used as a natural bath sponge, like a loofah

Victoria sponge

4.7

A light cake made from two sponge layers sandwiched with jam and usually cream

How Exploitative

parasite

Offensive

60 5.9

leech

Offensive

9 8.1

sponge

Offensive

5 7.2

freeloader

Offensive

27 6.1

to mooch

Informal

12 8.5

Surface Forms

sponge singular

sponges plural

Etymology

The word sponge can mean a person who takes free things from others without giving back because a sponge 'soaks up' whatever it finds. So calling someone a sponge suggests they keep taking help or money from others.