sponger

Examples

• All

• And Alan, as a character, is a wimp, leech, whiner, and sponger of others; to put it in a single word: loser.

  Blog text (17)

• Spongers?

  War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008)

• You make me sound like some kind of sponger.

  Family Plot (1976)

• So I just accept that now, if you are, if you are a sponger and you want everyone else to work for you but get paid, you can go.

• The achievers in this country pay most of the taxes for your free stuff, sponger.

  Blog text (4)

• You're a liar and a sponger!

  The Laureate (2023)

• You're a sponger, a taker.

  Fiction book (2000)

• A heavy tax shall be levied... against all parasites and spongers... such as the elderly, the infirm... and especially little children.

  The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

• Eastern Europeans, Africans, aliens - - refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, spongers.

  Visions of Europe (2004)

• He's a known sponger, always asking others for money without ever offering to help in return.

Synonyms

P

parasite

vssponger

• Offensive

60 5.9

A person who lives off others and gives nothing in return

focuses on taking support or advantage generally rather than only depending on others

F

freeloader

vssponger

• Offensive

27 6.1

A person who takes help or gifts without giving anything back

is about persistent attempts to gain support rather than occasional taking of generosity

M

moocher

vssponger

• Offensive

14 8.3

A person who often gets food or money without paying

is broader, targeting general support rather than just food or money

L

leech

vssponger

• Offensive

9 8.1

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

is about persistently seeking support or advantage rather than direct exploitation

M

mooch

vssponger

• Offensive

7 8.8

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

is the neutral term for persistent advantage seeking rather than an informal label

E

exploiter

vssponger

5 7.1

A person who uses others selfishly to get money or power

focuses on persistent advantage seeking or support rather than single unethical acts

S

sponge

vssponger

• Offensive

5 7.2

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

is broader, targeting any support rather than only hospitality or generosity

S

scrounger

vssponger

• Offensive

1 7.6

A person who gets food or money from others without paying

seeks broader support or advantage rather than only free goods or food

S

schnorrer

vssponger

• Offensive

1 9.9

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

aims at gaining general advantage or support rather than only food or money

C

cadger

vssponger

• Offensive

1 9.9

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

covers persistent advantage taking beyond only asking for food or money

T

taker-backer

vssponger

• Offensive

9.9

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

is about persistently gaining advantage rather than merely failing to reciprocate once

S

shnorrer

vssponger

• Offensive

9.9

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

is about general support or advantage rather than only exploiting generosity

B

bogard

vssponger

• Offensive

9.9

A person who takes or keeps things that should be shared

is about persistently gaining advantage or support rather than hoarding shared items

Antonyms

C

contributor

74 3.2

A person who gives money to a charity or project

G

giver

56 1.0

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

How Selfish

parasite

• Offensive

60 5.9

leech

• Offensive

9 8.1

sponger

• Offensive

1 8.2

freeloader

• Offensive

27 6.1

mooch

• Offensive

7 8.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology