absorb

American  

[ab-sawrb, -zawrb] / æbˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb /

verb (used with object)

1. to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up.

   A sponge absorbs water.

2. to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate.

   The empire absorbed many small nations.

   Synonyms:

   destroy, engulf, devour, consume, assimilate

3. to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly.

   so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.

4. to occupy or fill.

   This job absorbs all of my time.

5. to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action.

   Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.

6. to take in without echo, recoil, or reflection.

   to absorb sound and light; to absorb shock.

7. to take in and utilize.

   The market absorbed all the computers we could build. Can your brain absorb all this information?

8. to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.).

   The company will absorb all the research costs.

9. Archaic. to swallow up.

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absorb British  

/ əbˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb /

verb

1. to soak or suck up (liquids)

2. to engage or occupy (the interest, attention, or time) of (someone); engross

3. to receive or take in (the energy of an impact)

4. physics to take in (all or part of incident radiated energy) and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted

5. to take in or assimilate; incorporate

6. to accept and find a market for (goods, etc)

7. to pay for as part of a commercial transaction

   the distributor absorbed the cost of transport

8. chem to cause to undergo a process in which one substance, usually a liquid or gas, permeates into or is dissolved by a liquid or solid Compare adsorb

   porous solids absorb water

   hydrochloric acid absorbs carbon dioxide

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Other Word Forms

• absorbability noun
• absorbable adjective
• nonabsorbability noun
• nonabsorbable adjective
• overabsorb verb (used with object)
• preabsorb verb
• reabsorb verb (used with object)
• unabsorbable adjective

Etymology

Origin of absorb

First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin absorbēre, from ab- ab- + sorbēre “to suck in, swallow”

Explanation

To absorb is to take in or suck up like a sponge. If you don't hear your mother calling because you are reading, you could say you were absorbed in the book. If your parents buy groceries for a party you are throwing and don't make you pay, you could say that they decided to absorb the cost of the food. Young minds absorb information easily. The word, absorbent, describes something that is capable of absorbing something else. When you go swimming on a chilly day, it's best to carry an absorbent towel so that all of the water is absorbed from the surface of your skin.

Example Sentences

Demand loss is being seen chiefly in the Middle East, Asian frontier economies and Africa, which has little surplus and scant ability to absorb higher costs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

She advises people who are vegan to choose fortified milk and yoghurt substitutes to absorb more of these vitamins.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

While McDonald’s global footprint allows it to absorb margin pressure better than rivals, value offers might reset customer expectations and make it harder to raise prices later.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

They explored whether it might be possible to encourage cells to more readily absorb LNPs.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

Before we had a chance to absorb all that news, we were hit by even worse; on Hitler's orders, thousands of Polish Jews, perhaps as many as 17,000, had been expelled from Germany.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

• assimilate
• follow
• get
• incorporate
• learn
• take in
• understand