to sponge
- verb
- /spʌndʒ/
- Specialized
- Local divers will sponge for sponges every summer to support their families.
Examples
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The team traveled to the coast to sponge for fresh sponges to sell at their shop.
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After training, the students planned to sponge at established fishing grounds for sponges.
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MAP: Figure 2. Florida Bay and Keys sponge fishing grounds.
Academic text (1998)
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A natural pad of dried plant fibers from a luffa fruit used for washing skin or dishes
- Specialized
A sea animal with a skeleton of thin glass-like threads that lives on the ocean floor
- Specialized
A soft sponge in a fish tank that traps dirt and adds air while letting good bacteria grow
A climbing plant whose young fruits are edible and whose dried mature fruit makes a natural sponge
A light cake made from two sponge layers sandwiched with jam and usually cream
How Intensive
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb sponge (to gather sponges) comes from the old work of taking the sea animals from the ocean for use as cleaning tools. That's why sailors would 'sponge' reefs and rocks to collect the absorbent animals called sponges.