absorbed

[ ab-sawrbd, -zawrbd ]

/ æbˈsɔrbd, -ˈzɔrbd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR absorbed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

deeply interested or involved; preoccupied: He had an absorbed look on his face.

Nearby words

absonant, absorb, absorbable gelatin film, absorbable suture, absorbance, absorbed, absorbed dose, absorbefacient, absorbency, absorbent, absorbent cotton

Origin of absorbed

First recorded in 1755–65; absorb + -ed²

Related formsab·sorb·ed·ly

[ab-sawr-bid-lee, -zawr-] /æbˈsɔr bɪd li, -ˈzɔr-/, adverbab·sorb·ed·ness, nounun·ab·sorbed, adjectivewell-ab·sorbed, adjective

Definition for absorbed (2 of 2)

absorb

[ ab-sawrb, -zawrb ]

/ æbˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb /

verb (used with object)

to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up: A sponge absorbs water.

to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate: The empire absorbed many small nations.

to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly: so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.

to occupy or fill: This job absorbs all of my time.

to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action: Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.

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?

to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.): The company will absorb all the research costs.

Archaic. to swallow up.

Origin of absorb

1480–90; < Latin absorbēre, equivalent to ab- ab- + sorbēre to suck in, swallow

SYNONYMS FOR absorb

2 assimilate, consume, devour, engulf; destroy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR absorb ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ab·sorb·a·ble, adjectiveab·sorb·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·ab·sorb·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·ab·sorb·a·ble, adjective

o·ver·ab·sorb, verb (used with object)pre·ab·sorb, verbre·ab·sorb, verb (used with object)un·ab·sorb·a·ble, adjective

Can be confusedabsorb adsorb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for absorbed

As digesting food passes through the small intestine, it mixes with chemicals from the liver, and nutrients are absorbed.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture|Russell Saunders|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the book, you say “Absorb youth and you will be absorbed by youth.”
George Clinton on Industry ‘Mobsters’ and How Nobody Wants to Listen to a Crackhead|Curtis Stephen|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It is important to know that gluten is not absorbed through the skin,” she wrote in response to my questions.
Celiac or Not, Gluten Free Dish Soap Is Ridiculous|Russell Saunders|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No mayonnaise, only butter, which had been absorbed, sponge-style, into the bun.
My Big, Buttery Lobster Roll Rumble: We Came, We Clawed, We Conquered|Scott Bixby|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This brilliant video takes a scientific look at the “giant prehistoric sea-monster that absorbed massive amounts of radiation.”
Godzilla, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sam, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To which Ingeborg, absorbed in the failure of her effort to find help and comfort, answered droopingly "No."
The Pastor's Wife|Elizabeth von Arnim
Her voice died in a musical little note, and she seemed to be scrutinizing the tennis with an absorbed interest.
Marriage|H. G. Wells
Philip replied not; and, absorbed in their own meditations, they walked back in silence to the cottage.
The Phantom Ship|Frederick Marryat
All visible colors are absorbed, or more accurately, none are reflected excepting the ultra-violet.
Astounding Stories, March, 1931|Various
Increase the fire by degrees, as more and more litharge is formed and absorbed.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer

British Dictionary definitions for absorbed (1 of 2)

absorbed

/ (əbˈsɔːbd, -ˈzɔːbd) /

adjective

engrossed; deeply interested

Derived Formsabsorbedly (əbˈsɔːbɪdlɪ, -ˈzɔː-), adverb

British Dictionary definitions for absorbed (2 of 2)

absorb

/ (əbˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb) /

verb (tr)

to soak or suck up (liquids)

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

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

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

to take in or assimilate; incorporate

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

to pay for as part of a commercial transactionthe distributor absorbed the cost of transport

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 solidporous solids absorb water; hydrochloric acid absorbs carbon dioxide Compare adsorb

Derived Formsabsorbability, nounabsorbable, adjective

Word Origin for absorb

C15: via Old French from Latin absorbēre to suck, swallow, from ab- 1 + sorbēre to suck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for absorbed

absorb

early 15c., from Middle French absorber (Old French assorbir, 13c.), from Latin absorbere "to swallow up," from ab- "from" (see ab-) + sorbere "suck in," from PIE root *srebh- "to suck, absorb" (cf. Armenian arbi "I drank," Greek rhopheo "to sup greedily up, gulp down," Lithuanian srebiu "to drink greedily"). Figurative meaning "to completely grip (one's) attention" is from 1763. Related: Absorbed; absorbing.

Medicine definitions for absorbed

absorb

[ əb-zôrb′ ]

v.

To take in by absorption.

To reduce the intensity of transmitted light.

absorbed

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of absorbed

Definition for absorbed (2 of 2)

absorb

verb (used with object)

Origin of absorb

Examples from the Web for absorbed

British Dictionary definitions for absorbed (1 of 2)

absorbed

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for absorbed (2 of 2)

absorb

verb (tr)

Word Origin for absorb

Word Origin and History for absorbed

absorb

Medicine definitions for absorbed

absorb

v.