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throw in the sponge

throw in the sponge
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [throh in stressed th ee spuhnj]
    • /θroʊ ɪn stressed ði spʌndʒ/
    • /θrəʊ ɪn ðə spʌndʒ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [throh in stressed th ee spuhnj]
    • /θroʊ ɪn stressed ði spʌndʒ/

Definitions of throw in the sponge words

  • noun throw in the sponge any aquatic, chiefly marine animal of the phylum Porifera, having a porous structure and usually a horny, siliceous or calcareous internal skeleton or framework, occurring in large, sessile colonies. 1
  • noun throw in the sponge the light, yielding, porous, fibrous skeleton or framework of certain animals or colonies of this group, especially of the genera Spongia and Hippospongia, from which the living matter has been removed, characterized by readily absorbing water and becoming soft when wet while retaining toughness: used in bathing, in wiping or cleaning surfaces, etc. 1
  • noun throw in the sponge any of various other similar substances, often porous rubber or cellulose, used for washing or cleaning. 1
  • noun throw in the sponge sponge bath. 1
  • noun throw in the sponge a person or thing that absorbs something freely: His mind is a sponge gathering historical data. 1
  • noun throw in the sponge a person who persistently borrows from or lives at the expense of others; sponger; parasite. 1
See all 22 definitions of throw in the sponge

Information block about the term

Origin of throw in the sponge

First appearance:

before 1000
One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; (noun) Middle English, Old English < Latin spongia, spongea < Greek spongiā́; (v.) Middle English spongen to clean with a sponge, derivative of the noun

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Throw in the sponge

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Throw in the sponge

throw in the sponge popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

throw in the sponge usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for throw in the sponge

verb throw in the sponge

  • abalienate — (civil law, transitive) To transfer the title of from one to another; to alienate.
  • cede — If someone in a position of authority cedes land or power to someone else, they let them have the land or power, often as a result of military or political pressure.
  • deeded — something that is done, performed, or accomplished; an act: Do a good deed every day.
  • fork over — an instrument having two or more prongs or tines, for holding, lifting, etc., as an implement for handling food or any of various agricultural tools.
  • give up — the quality or state of being resilient; springiness.
All 8 Synonyms of throw in the sponge

See also

Matching words

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