sponge

Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.

A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).

She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.

The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.

A heavy drinker.

A type of light cake.

To take advantage of the kindness of others.

The fly is an intruder, and a common smell-feast, that spunges upon other Peoples Trenchers.

You can’t go on spunging upon the women.

To get by imposition; to scrounge.

“[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.

July 17 1735, Jonathan Swift, letter to Lord Ornery I am an utter stranger to the persons and places, except when half a score come to sponge on me every Sunday evening

To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition.

How came such multitudes of our nation […] to be sponged of their plate and their money?

To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.

Before stepping into the bath the head should be wet with cold water, and in the bath the pit of the stomach should first be sponged.

To suck in, or imbibe, like a sponge.