soak up

verb

soaked up; soaking up; soaks up

1

: to take in (liquid) : absorb

The rag soaked up most of the water.

2

: to enjoy feeling or experiencing (something pleasant) in usually a slow or relaxed way

We went to the beach and soaked up the sun/sunshine all afternoon.

I sat at my table for an hour soaking up the atmosphere of the café.

The performers stood on the stage, soaking up the applause.

3

: to learn and remember (something) quickly

He eagerly soaked up every word she said.

She has an ability to soak up new information very quickly.

4

: to use a large amount of (money, supplies, etc.)

This project is soaking up resources that could be used elsewhere.

Examples of soak up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The sprawling estate boasted a combination badminton and tennis court, as well as a sparkling swimming pool, where Crawford loved to soak up the sun during her time off. — Megan Johnson, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026

The Boston Blue star literally leaned into the moment, laying his head on Osmond’s shoulder as the two men smiled and soaked up the rapturous screams from the audience. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026

Bhusri may not be keen on soaking up the limelight, preferring instead to deflect it to one of his young mentees. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

In his time at the zoo, Rupert could often be seen playing with a big boomer ball, lounging in the pool or soaking up attention from animal care specialists, the zoo wrote. — Celia Frazier, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for soak up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup