sponger

as in parasite
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return a sponger who moved in with friends and seems to be in no hurry to get a job and pay a share of the rent

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sponger
Noun
  • Grooming too frequently can indicate issues such as parasites, allergies, infections, pain, or stress.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
  • Their demise was later hastened by a parasite called Bonamia ostreae, which is thought to have been imported from California around 1979.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 July 2025
Noun
  • That’ll play for this group, and Hassanein has been a sponge in training camp, picking the brains of Aidan Hutchinson and Penei Sewell.
    Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2025
  • Higher tier players, all but a few crazies, are going to burn out with this insane difficulty that is often not necessarily difficulty, but endless sponges and the simple inability to ever feel truly strong.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Sponger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sponger. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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