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

Valuable time in the shade is soaked up under an umbrella, portable fans work overtime and various concoctions of some sort of hydration are drunk to replenish the body with electrolytes. —Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 28 May 2026

The best thing that happened for the Angels was that left-hander Brent Suter soaked up the final three innings, allowing the rest of the bullpen to have a night off. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 28 May 2026

Plan an overnight stay at one of the park's beachfront cabins to soak up even more of this seashore's unspoiled beauty or camp out on the sand. —Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2026

Through exquisite timing to track the arrival of photons from each telescope, essentially all the light soaked up by the entire array can be combined to make interference patterns from which images can be extracted. —K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 27 May 2026

Rhymes for soak up

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