Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

sponge

2 verb
     
sponge2
1 also sponge down [transitive] to wash something with a wet cloth or sponge:
Clean the rug by sponging it gently.
She stood on the bathmat and sponged herself down.
2 [intransitive] informal to get money, free meals etc from other people, without doing anything for them - used to show disapproval
sponge off/on
These people are just sponging off the taxpayers.
3 [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to remove liquid or a mark with a wet cloth or sponge
sponge something off (something)
I'll go and sponge this juice off my dress.
4 [transitive] to put paint on a surface using a sponge
sponge something on (something)
Just sponge the paint on, like this.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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