éponge
/e.pɔ̃ʒ/feminine
The English word "sponge" translates to French as éponge.
éponge is a noun referring to a piece of porous material used for washing. You can also use the related verb éponger, which means to wipe up or soak up a liquid.
Meaning: piece of porous material used for washing (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun éponge is feminine. This means it uses the feminine article une (as in une éponge) and requires feminine adjectives to match.
How do you pronounce it?
/e.pɔ̃ʒ/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In certain French dialects, éponger can colloquially mean to recover from the effects of drinking too much alcohol.
- In French, the verb éponger is often used metaphorically to mean 'to clear up' or 'to wipe out' a debt or a mistake, much like a sponge cleans a surface.
- The word éponge can be used in the expression être une éponge, which describes a person who absorbs all the emotions or the tension in a room.
Examples in context
- Ne presse pas l'éponge.Don't squeeze the sponge.Tatoeba #12478222 by always, translation #10225158 by Amastan
- Une éponge absorbe l'eau.A sponge absorbs water.Tatoeba #11927 by Lulantis, translation #51613 by CM
- Une éponge absorbe du liquide.A sponge absorbs liquids.Tatoeba #11926 by Lulantis, translation #51614 by CK
- Pouvez-vous m'apporter une éponge de nettoyage ?Can you bring me a cleaning sponge?
- Tu as vu ma petite éponge ? Je l'ai perdue.Have you seen my little sponge? I lost it.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are cleaning the kitchen.
- ManonNathan, peux-tu me donner l'éponge ?Nathan, can you give me the sponge?
- NathanTiens, la voici.Here, here it is.
- ManonMerci, elle est encore mouillée.Thanks, it is still wet.
- NathanJe vais la laisser sécher.I will let it dry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sponge” translations and entries éponge, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
