soaking (up)

verb

present participle of soak (up)
as in drinking
to take in (something liquid) through small openings this sponge should soak up the spilled juice very nicely

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for soaking (up)
  1. drinking
  2. absorbing
  3. taking up
Verb
  • Several commenters pointed to the fact that alcohol service can continue later than food service, arguing that removing late-night food could leave people drinking without an easy option to eat.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Lacy said police had told him his son had gone out drinking with a friend, and at some point a physical altercation took place.
    — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of drinking
Verb
  • Dark, light-absorbing particles turn into light-scattering particles, transforming dark, dense plumes into the milky white haze seen drifting across the eastern skies.
    — Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Great at absorbing moisture while still preventing the growth of bacteria, these socks will dry quickly and minimize irritation.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of absorbing
Verb
  • The model credits pasture for taking up carbon but does not count the carbon carried away in wool and livestock as leaving the system.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • One-and-done dressing means one less outfit to plan—and fewer pieces taking up precious suitcase space.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of taking up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

soaking
soaking (up)
soaks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Soaking (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soaking%20%28up%29. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All