soak up

phrasal 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

This places iron–sodium alongside ultra‑long‑duration concepts like iron‑air less as a rival and more as the workhorse layer that soaks up daily swings while those 100‑hour systems chase rare, extreme events. —Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 6 Jan. 2026

The vegetables roast alongside, soaking up all those savory drippings without stealing oven space. —Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2026

Sometimes, however, the kids come back simply to soak up some family quality time. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026

Jessica Alba is ringing in the New Year in the best way imaginable—by slipping into a bikini, throwing on some shades, and soaking up some serious sun on the beach in Mexico with her boyfriend Danny Ramirez. —Meg Walters, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for soak up

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