absorb
Americanverb (used with object)
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to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up.
A sponge absorbs water.
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to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate.
The empire absorbed many small nations.
- Synonyms:
- destroy, engulf, devour, consume, assimilate
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to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly.
so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.
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to occupy or fill.
This job absorbs all of my time.
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to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action.
Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.
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to take in without echo, recoil, or reflection.
to absorb sound and light; to absorb shock.
-
to take in and utilize.
The market absorbed all the computers we could build. Can your brain absorb all this information?
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to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.).
The company will absorb all the research costs.
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Archaic. to swallow up.
verb
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to soak or suck up (liquids)
-
to engage or occupy (the interest, attention, or time) of (someone); engross
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to receive or take in (the energy of an impact)
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physics to take in (all or part of incident radiated energy) and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted
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to take in or assimilate; incorporate
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to accept and find a market for (goods, etc)
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to pay for as part of a commercial transaction
the distributor absorbed the cost of transport
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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
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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two major ratings agencies have raised concerns about Paramount’s credit because of the enormous debt the David Ellison-led company will have to shoulder — at least $79 billion — once it absorbs the larger Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times
Loubna Mrie’s candid and absorbing memoir, ‘Defiance,’ is a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.
From Los Angeles Times
That funding, he said, supports clinics, hospitals and community clinic partners now absorbing patients who previously went to the clinics that closed on Feb. 27.
From Los Angeles Times
Cryptocurrencies absorbed initial shock before traditional markets opened, a pattern seen since 2020 after major geopolitical events.
From Barron's
Cryptocurrencies absorbed initial shock before traditional markets opened, a pattern seen since 2020 after major geopolitical events.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
