take up vs sponge up

take up and sponge up both are verbs.

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

As verbs, sponge up is a hyponym of take up; that is, sponge up is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than take up:

Other hyponyms of take up include mop, mop up, wipe up, blot.

take up (verb)	sponge up (verb)
pursue or resume	absorb as if with a sponge
return to a previous location or condition
adopt
take up as if with a sponge
take out or up with or as if with a scoop
accept
take in, also metaphorically
take up a liquid or a gas either by adsorption or by absorption
occupy or take on
take up and practice as one's own
begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job
turn one's interest to
take up time or space