adsorb

[ ad-sawrb, -zawrb ]

/ ædˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb /

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verb (used with object) Physical Chemistry.

to gather (a gas, liquid, or dissolved substance) on a surface in a condensed layer: Charcoal will adsorb gases.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of adsorb

First recorded in 1880–85; ad- + (ab)sorb

OTHER WORDS FROM adsorb

ad·sorb·a·ble, adjectivead·sorb·a·bil·i·ty, nounad·sorb·ent, adjective, nounad·sorp·tion

[ad-sawrp-shuhn, -zawrp-], /ædˈsɔrp ʃən, -ˈzɔrp-/, noun

ad·sorp·tive, adjectivead·sorp·tive·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH adsorb

absorb, adsorb

Words nearby adsorb

ADS, adscititious, adscript, adscription, ADSL, adsorb, adsorbate, adsorbent, adsorption, adst. feb., adstratum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use adsorb in a sentence

Silica gel packets tucked into pockets and between layers of fabrics can adsorb water before anything is ruined.
5 reasons to hold on to old silica gel packets|Bridget Reed Morawski|July 27, 2022|Popular-Science
Try using a slew of silica gel packets to adsorb the water out of the electronic to bring it back from a watery grave.
5 reasons to hold on to old silica gel packets|Bridget Reed Morawski|July 27, 2022|Popular-Science
You don’t want to get bleach in your food, but the gelatin could adsorb bleach and release it when it touches your food.
Could reusable ‘jelly ice’ cubes replace regular ice?|Katie Grace Carpenter|January 10, 2022|Science News For Students

British Dictionary definitions for adsorb

adsorb

/ (ədˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb) /

verb

to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a substance, usually a gas, accumulates on the surface of a solid forming a thin film, often only one molecule thickto adsorb hydrogen on nickel; oxygen adsorbs on tungsten Compare absorb (def. 8)

Derived forms of adsorb

adsorbable, adjectiveadsorbability, nounadsorption, noun

Word Origin for adsorb

C19: ad- + -sorb as in absorb

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