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

As the tectonic plate bends near the subduction zone, fractures develop, allowing the magma to rise through the crust, much like liquid being squeezed from a sponge.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 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

When things get beyond him he throws up the sponge altogether; he just goes to pieces.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

The geographic features are hot spots of biodiversity, with corals, sponges and even an octopus garden, just like in the Beatles song.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

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

Citizen science played an important role in the project because participants used the sponges under real household conditions.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

Armed with sponges, soap, brooms, and mops, they sweated together in the climbing August sun, working hurriedly before the movers arrived.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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

He renders the tropical wilderness in thin, brittle linework, while blotty sponged black ink fills out coarse tree bark and the shadows cast by leafy vegetation.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2019

Eventually she is sponged clean, put into a new gown, wheeled into yet another room.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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

There’s a lot of scraping and sponging involved.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2023

He hung around the Cincinnati station at all hours, sponging up shot composition and camera angles.

From New York Times ● May 18, 2022

I’ve got her stool and her bucket and her towel, and I’m sponging her off on a nightly basis, sending her back into the fray.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2022

Whenever I’m not mopping the dining room, sponging down the tables, or sweeping the stairs, I’m shooting hoops.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko