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
  • For chemicals classified as possible human carcinogens, MCLGs are typically set at a level where drinking the water daily for 70 years would cause one additional cancer case per 1 million people above the background rate.
    — Christine Kirchhoff, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • Traditionally, mate is passed around a group, with friends and family members often drinking from the same bombilla.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of drinking
Verb
  • The White Sox acquired Castillo on Saturday night, absorbing the approximately $30 million he is guaranteed for the rest of this season and next.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Subsequent purchases included ammonia and odor-absorbing materials.
    — Barbara Vitello, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of absorbing
Verb
  • Indeed, so much so that there are suggestions that the people from better-off backgrounds are taking up many of the limited number of places.
    — Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Gen Z is taking up analog hobbies, ditching dating apps and spending real time at the mall again.
    — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 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 7 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 invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All