sponge up vs suck up

sponge up and suck up both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sponge up	No	No	Yes	No
suck up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, suck up is a hypernym of sponge up; that is, suck up is a word with a broader meaning than sponge up:

Other hypernyms of sponge up include absorb, draw, imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck, take in, take up.

sponge up (verb)	suck up (verb)
absorb as if with a sponge	try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
	take in, also metaphorically
	ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior