sponge

Rangers and volunteers at Attingham Park, in Atcham, have been building dams, restoring ponds and planting trees, in a bid to use their land as a sponge for the River Severn and River Tern.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

As well as damage to natural habitats and animal life, Thomas warned loss of soil could increase flood risks, because it no longer acts as a "sponge" holding water on high ground.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The enriched flour, high-fructose corn syrup, and tallow that help make up the American classic give each small sponge cake about 65 days to be consumed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Depending on the sponge type, annual emissions ranged from about 0.68 grams to 4.21 grams of microplastics per person.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

Then she takes a thick pink sponge roller and twirls my hair onto the roller real slow, real tight, until it’s rolled to my scalp.

From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson

Environmentalists also say river bank fortifications destroy shallow-water zones where aquatic life and insects breed -- and the adjoining natural floodplains that act like sponges at times of excess water.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Tommy, who used acrylic paint and a mixture of brushes and sponges to achieve different textures, said: 'I just wanted to make something colourful, plus feet are easier to draw than faces!

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

The results show that kitchen sponges do shed measurable amounts of microplastics over time.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

The “underwater city” of a barrier reef bustles with activity, with vibrantly patterned fish darting busily between corals and sea sponges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Gardens of corals and sponges and flowery sea anemones clung to the rocks and danced in the whirling currents.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

The magnesium had an unexpected beneficial effect: It "sponged out" inadvertent impurities in the tantalum and, as a result, raised the temperature at which it operates as a superconductor.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024

Pastor Pam and Jen lowered me gently to the ground, a kneeling, knowledgeable Officer K sponged me to consciousness and remained with me until the Fire Department arrived.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 8, 2022

She sponged the mattresses with disinfectant and, eventually, took in a stray cat to fight the rodents.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2022

“If you put water on them it takes the heat off. That’s why horses are sponged sometimes before or in the paddock and  certainly after the races.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2016

She washed everything she could bend enough to get into a tub and sponged the rest.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Alice spends her days cleaning Lady Jemima’s stinky shoes, sponging her underwear and greasing her long blonde hair.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Generative AI is developing so quickly that soon the large-language models sponging up information on the internet will run out of content to feed on.

From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2024

Wedging himself between Dickie and Marge, he becomes obsessed — an obsession in which the lines between befriending Dickie, sponging off Dickie and becoming Dickie are progressively erased.

From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

Wetlands also act as our planet's kidneys, sponging up excess rainwater to prevent flooding, and filtering out some sediment and contaminants before they can reach springs, creeks, groundwater, ocean.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2021

There was plenty of work to do, and he could pretend to concentrate hard on peeling the rotten leaves off the cabbages or sponging the spilt milk from the refrigerator floor.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte