sponge
sponge — 名詞
1. a soft, light cleaning item made of material with many small openings, designed
海綿
用於清洗的柔軟多孔材料
a soft, light cleaning item made of material with many small openings, designed to take in and squeeze out water for washing things
Felipe wet the sponge and squeezed it before washing the dishes.
Felipe 先把海綿浸濕再擠乾，然後開始洗碗。
collocation: wet the sponge / squeeze the sponge
The kitchen sponge smelled bad, so Aoi threw it in the bin.
廚房的海綿有異味，所以 Aoi 把它丟進垃圾桶。
Use a clean sponge to wipe down the bathroom counter every week.
每週用乾淨的海綿擦拭浴室的洗手檯。
The children used damp sponges to wash the paint off the classroom tables.
孩子們用濕海綿把教室桌上的油漆擦掉。
文法句型
[countable] a sponge
2. a quick way to wash yourself or clean a surface by rubbing it with a damp sponge
擦洗
用濕海綿清潔身體或物體表面
a quick way to wash yourself or clean a surface by rubbing it with a damp sponge or piece of fabric, without getting into a bath or using running water
After the long hike, Emre gave himself a quick sponge with a wet towel.
長途健行後，Emre 用濕毛巾快速擦洗身體。
countable: give [sb] a sponge
The nurse gave the elderly patient a warm sponge to bring down her fever.
護理師用溫水為年長病人擦洗身體來退燒。
A quick sponge of the kitchen counters got rid of all the sticky spots.
快速擦洗一下廚房流理臺，就把所有黏膩的污漬清掉了。
The campsite had no shower, so the children had a sponge before bed.
營地沒有淋浴設備，所以孩子們睡覺前用海綿擦洗了一下。
- wipe-down
a quick clean with a cloth, less thorough than a sponge bath
文法句型
a sponge
give [sb] a sponge
have a sponge
用法筆記
Often found in the phrases 'have a sponge', 'give someone a sponge', or 'a quick sponge'. More common in British English than American English.
3. a light, airy cake that gets its soft texture from beaten eggs mixed with sugar
海綿蛋糕
以蛋、糖、麵粉製成的軟蛋糕
a light, airy cake that gets its soft texture from beaten eggs mixed with sugar and flour, often with butter or oil added
Lakshmi baked a lemon sponge for her mother's birthday party.
Lakshmi 烤了一個檸檬海綿蛋糕來慶祝媽媽的生日。
collocation: bake a [flavor] sponge
Victoria sponge is a classic British cake filled with jam and cream.
維多利亞海綿蛋糕是經典的英式糕點，中間夾著果醬和奶油。
The dessert menu featured a warm chocolate sponge with fresh berries.
甜點菜單上有一道溫熱的巧克力海綿蛋糕，上頭擺著新鮮莓果。
This recipe makes a light sponge that rises beautifully in the oven.
這個食譜做出來的海綿蛋糕很輕盈，在烤箱裡膨脹得很漂亮。
- sponge cake
the full term; more common in American English
- cake
general term; sponge is a specific light type
文法句型
[countable/uncountable] sponge
a [flavor] sponge
用法筆記
Also called 'sponge cake'. In the UK, 'Victoria sponge' (named after Queen Victoria) is a popular type filled with jam and cream. In the US, the term 'sponge cake' is more common than just 'sponge'.
4. a very simple sea creature that has many tiny openings in its soft body, stays a
海綿動物
附著在水底的多孔海洋動物
a very simple sea creature that has many tiny openings in its soft body, stays attached to rocks underwater, and gets food by drawing water in through those openings
The divers filmed a bright orange sponge growing on the coral reef.
潛水員拍攝到珊瑚礁上長著一顆亮橘色的海綿動物。
collocation: [color] sponge growing on [surface]
Natural bath sponges are the dried skeletons of certain sea sponges.
天然沐浴海綿是某些海綿動物乾燥後的骨骼。
Sponges are among the oldest living creatures on Earth.
海綿動物是地球上最古老的生物之一。
A sponge can regrow into a new animal if its body is broken into pieces.
海綿動物的身體若被弄碎，每一塊都可以重新長成一個新的個體。
- poriferan
technical term for the phylum Porifera; not used in everyday language
文法句型
[countable] a sponge
用法筆記
Natural sponges used for bathing (noun sense 1) come from the dried skeletons of these animals. Most household sponges today are synthetic.
5. a person who regularly takes money, food, or somewhere to live from other people
寄生蟲
依賴他人生活而不付出的人
a person who regularly takes money, food, or somewhere to live from other people without giving anything back or making any effort to support themselves
Owen's friends called him a sponge because he never offered to pay for anything.
Owen 的朋友叫他寄生蟲，因為他從來不肯付錢。
informal: call [sb] a sponge
Defne got tired of being a sponge and finally found a job and moved out.
Defne 不想再當寄生蟲了，於是找到工作並搬了出去。
The landlord refused to support a sponge — his brother had to pay rent.
房東拒絕養寄生蟲——他弟弟必須自己付房租。
After a year as a sponge, Linh moved out to find her own place.
當了一年的寄生蟲後，Linh 搬出去自己住了。
- parasite
stronger and more formal than 'sponge'; implies exploitation
- freeloader
informal, similar meaning; emphasises getting free things
- scrounger
informal British term; focuses on habitually asking for things
- provider
someone who supports others rather than depending on them
文法句型
[countable] a sponge
用法筆記
Informal and disapproving. Similar meaning to 'parasite' but less formal and less harsh. Often used in the phrase 'be a sponge' or 'call someone a sponge'.
sponge — 動詞
1. to take money, meals, or other benefits from people without offering anything ba
白吃白喝
不付出就從他人獲取錢財食物
to take money, meals, or other benefits from people without offering anything back, often because you do not want to work or pay for yourself
Noa's cousin has been sponging off his parents for years instead of getting a job.
Noa 的表哥多年來一直白吃白喝靠父母養，不去找工作。
sponge off [sb]: get without giving
Imani refused to sponge on her friends, so she paid for her own meal.
Imani 不願佔朋友便宜，於是自己付了餐費。
Caio is always trying to sponge a free drink at the bar from strangers.
Caio 老是在酒吧向陌生人討免費酒喝，真的很丟臉。
After months of sponging off his sister, he felt ashamed and started looking for work.
在姐姐家白吃白喝幾個月後，他感到羞愧而開始找工作。
- earn
to get money by working rather than by taking from others
- support oneself
to pay for one's own needs without help
文法句型
sponge off [sb]
sponge on [sb]
sponge [sth] off [sb]
用法筆記
Always used with a preposition ('off' or 'on') when followed by a person. Strongly disapproving in tone — the speaker judges the person as lazy or unfair.
常見錯誤
2. to clean a surface by rubbing it with a damp sponge or a piece of cloth
擦拭
用濕海綿清潔物品表面
to clean a surface by rubbing it with a damp sponge or a piece of cloth
Felipe sponged the kitchen floor after spilling juice on it.
Felipe 把果汁灑翻後，用海綿擦拭了廚房地板。
sponge + [surface]: clean by rubbing with a sponge
The doctor carefully sponged the wound before putting on a fresh bandage.
醫生仔細地擦拭傷口，然後貼上新的繃帶。
Esme sponged the red wine stain with cold water, but it would not come out.
Esme 用冷水擦拭紅酒漬，但就是去除不掉。
The walls were dirty, so Nicholas sponged them down with warm soapy water.
牆壁很髒，所以 Nicholas 用溫肥皂水仔細地擦拭。
文法句型
sponge [something]
sponge [something] down
sponge [something] with [liquid]
用法筆記
Can be used with 'down' for thorough cleaning (sponge down the walls) or with a liquid to specify what is used (sponge with cold water).
3. to take in and hold a liquid the way a sponge does, drawing it into the tiny hol
吸收
像海綿一樣吸取液體
to take in and hold a liquid the way a sponge does, drawing it into the tiny holes inside the material
The paper towels quickly sponged up the water that spilled across the table.
廚房紙巾很快就吸乾了灑在桌上的水。
sponge up: absorb liquid completely
The dry ground sponged up all the rain within a few minutes.
乾燥的土壤在幾分鐘內就把雨水全部吸收了。
Use a clean cloth to sponge the extra oil from the frying pan.
用乾淨的布吸掉平底鍋多餘的油。
A soft towel can sponge the moisture out of your hair after a shower.
洗髮後用柔軟的毛巾吸掉頭髮上的水分。
文法句型
sponge up [liquid]
sponge [liquid] from [surface]
sponge [liquid]
用法筆記
Often paired with 'up' to emphasise complete absorption. The object can be the liquid itself (sponge up the milk) or the source (sponge the milk from the carpet).
4. to remove or make something disappear by rubbing it with a wet sponge or cloth,
擦掉；抹去
用海綿清除痕跡或污漬
to remove or make something disappear by rubbing it with a wet sponge or cloth, especially marks, stains, or writing
Élise sponged the chalk marks off the blackboard after the lesson ended.
下課後，Élise 用海綿擦掉黑板上的粉筆字。
sponge [marks] off [surface]: remove by rubbing
The artist decided she did not like the colours and sponged them away.
藝術家覺得自己不喜歡那些顏色，便用海綿把它們都抹掉了。
Ishaan tried to sponge the coffee stain out of his shirt before the meeting started.
開會前 Ishaan 試著用海綿把襯衫上的咖啡漬擦掉。
Ari sponged the old name off the envelope and wrote the new address.
Ari 用海綿把信封上舊的名字擦掉，寫上新地址。
文法句型
sponge [something] off [surface]
sponge [something] away
sponge [something] out
用法筆記
Often used with a particle like 'away', 'off', or 'out' to indicate the direction of removal. Can be used literally (sponge a mark off a wall) or metaphorically (sponge away bad memories, though this is literary).