éponger

to sponge up

verb ay-pon-ZHAY Rare

Also means

to absorb

Usage Note

Éponger literally means to mop up a liquid with a sponge or cloth. Figuratively, éponger une dette means to pay off or absorb a debt — a common financial metaphor. The noun éponge (sponge) is its base; the related idiom 'passer l'éponge' means to let something go.

Examples

"Elle éponge l'eau renversée sur la table."

Natural Translation

She sponges up the water spilled on the table.

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