sponger

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spong·er

(spŭn′jər)

1. One that gathers sponges.

2. Informal A person who sponges on others; a parasite.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sponger

(ˈspʌndʒə)

1. informal a person who lives off other people by continually taking advantage of their generosity; parasite or scrounger

2. (Fishing) a person or ship employed in collecting sponges

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	sponger - a workman employed to collect sponges working man, working person, workingman, workman - an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
	2.	sponger - a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage leech, parasite, sponge follower - a person who accepts the leadership of another

sponger

noun (Informal) scrounger, parasite, leech, hanger-on (informal), cadge (Brit.), freeloader (slang), bloodsucker (informal), bludger (Austral. & N.Z. informal), cadger Is he an aggressive sponger or does he have a case?

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

صائِد الإسْفَنْج

příživník

snylter

NassauerNassauerinSchmarotzer

parasite

potyázó

afæta

parassita

дармоед

príživník

otlakçıparazit

依赖他人生活者寄生虫

sponger

[ˈspʌndʒəʳ] N → gorrón/ona m/f, sablista mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sponger

[ˈspʌndʒə^r] n (pejorative) → parasite msponge rubber n → caoutchouc m mousse®

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sponger

n (inf) → Schmarotzer(in) m(f), → Schnorrer(in) m(f) (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sponger

[ˈspʌndʒəʳ] n (fam) → scroccone/a (pej) → parassita m inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sponge

(spandʒ) noun

1. a type of sea animal, or its soft skeleton, which has many holes and is able to suck up and hold water.

2. a piece of such a skeleton or a substitute, used for washing the body etc.

3. a sponge pudding or cake. We had jam sponge for dessert.

4. an act of wiping etc with a sponge. Give the table a quick sponge over, will you?

verb

1. to wipe or clean with a sponge. She sponged the child's face.

2. to get a living, money etc (from someone else). He's been sponging off/on us for years.

ˈsponger noun

a person who lives by sponging on others.

ˈspongy adjective

soft and springy or holding water like a sponge. spongy ground.

ˈspongily adverb

ˈsponginess noun

sponge cake, sponge pudding

(a) very light cake or pudding made from flour, eggs and sugar etc.

References in periodicals archive ?

A lot of you got in touch about last week's piece on council houses to lament their demise, although a couple of you were glad they're not getting built as it stops "spongers" from "playing the system".

Home in on the Tory spongers

She said: "My sympathies to all those people genuinely unfit for work or looking for work but there are too many spongers who won't work."

@dailyrecord

'The police have also handed over these minor spongers multiple times to Edhi but they reemerge from the surroundings of the shrine' he deplored.

Child beggars, unwanted vendors irk Bari Imam Shrine's devotees

There are of course some genuine and honest members of the Lords but my comments are directed at the spongers who know who they are.

Some peers making a mockery of Lords; Letters

And most certainly not on the Royal Family and all of its parasite spongers.

A waste of taxpayers' cash; FEEDBACK

Spongers We are not just talking about the homeless relying on soup kitchens at this time of year - those stereotypes don't apply any more.

So dishgraceful

Maggie would be so proud as the coalition makes the benefit "spongers" work for their benefits.

Pen points

It should be a great shame for the Bahraini authorities - government, governorates, councils - spongers all of them on the goodwill of a group of dedicated citizens bent on rescuing animals from starvation and death.

Thank you BSPCA

Now, American Republican candidate Mitt Romney has blundered with a comment writing off 47 per cent of Americans as spongers.

Mitt's a half-wit

It's high time that these spongers are kicked out and looked after by their own tax payers.

Sponging off the UK; LETTERS

It's about time the Government started to reward the people who have paid their dues in National Insurance, taxes and pensions and not the layabout spongers and people coming into this country and reaping the benefits of those of us who have paid.