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Definition of "sponge" []

  • Any of numerous aquatic, chiefly marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Porifera, characteristically having a porous skeleton composed of fibrous material or siliceous or calcareous spicules and often forming irregularly shaped colonies attached to an underwater surface. (noun)
  • The light, fibrous, flexible, absorbent skeleton of certain of these organisms, used for bathing, cleaning, and other purposes. (noun)
  • Porous plastics, rubber, cellulose, or other material, similar in absorbency to this skeleton and used for the same purposes. (noun)
  • Metal in a porous, brittle form, as after the removal of other metals in processing, used as a raw material in manufacturing. (noun)
  • A gauze pad used to absorb blood and other fluids, as in surgery or the dressing of a wound. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "sponge" in a sentence
  • "The sponge is a one-man stimulus package, not just commercially but morally."
  • "PALCA: So the sponge is something called Discodermia dissoluta."
  • "But the marine sponge is rare and produces only small quantities of poison."