assimilate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb.
He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip.
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to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a dominant social group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust.
to assimilate the new immigrants.
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Physiology. to convert (food) to substances suitable for incorporation into the body and its tissues.
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to cause to resemble (usually followed by to orwith ).
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to compare; liken (usually followed by to orwith ).
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Phonetics. to modify by assimilation.
verb (used without object)
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to be or become absorbed.
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to conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a dominant social group, nation, or the like.
The new arrivals assimilated easily and quickly.
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Physiology. (of food) to be converted into the substance of the body; be absorbed into the system.
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to bear a resemblance (usually followed by to orwith ).
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Phonetics. to become modified by assimilation.
noun
verb
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(tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly
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(tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues
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(intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood
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to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjusted
the new immigrants assimilated easily
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to become or cause to become similar
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(usually foll by to) phonetics to change (a consonant) or (of a consonant) to be changed into another under the influence of one adjacent to it
(n) often assimilates to ŋ before (k), as in ``include''
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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assimilationnoun
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assimilatornoun
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reassimilateverb
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assimilableadjective
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assimilativeadjective
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nonassimilatingadjective
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unassimilatedadjective
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unassimilatingadjective
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well-assimilatedadjective
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assimilablyadverb
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assimilativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assimilatesimple
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assimilatessimple
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have assimilatedperfect
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has assimilatedperfect
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am assimilatingprogressive
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are assimilatingprogressive
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is assimilatingprogressive
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have been assimilatingperfect progressive
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has been assimilatingperfect progressive
Past
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assimilatedsimple
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had assimilatedperfect
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was assimilatingprogressive
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were assimilatingprogressive
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had been assimilatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assimilate
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin assimilātus “likened to, made like” (past participle of assimilāre ), equivalent to as- as- + simil- ( see similar) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
If you are trying to fit in, you are trying to assimilate. Imported from Latin, assimilate has the word similar within it and in fact, means "to become like something else." If someone moves to another country, he or she will need to assimilate by adapting to and taking in the language, culture and customs of the new place. You can also turn the phrase around to say that a country assimilates immigrants, which means that a place accepts immigrants and allows them to adapt easily. In scientific use, the body assimilates nutrients as a part of digestion.
Vocabulary lists containing assimilate
List 1
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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Lord of the Flies
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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.
I’ve long maintained it takes three generations to assimilate into America.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025
Some believe the erasure of Black LGBTQ+ leaders stems from respectability politics, a strategy in some marginalized communities of ostracizing or punishing members who don’t assimilate into the dominant culture.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 12, 2023
Their history is the source of their magic, and they use that magic to selflessly improve their community, without needing to assimilate into it.
From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2021
Or, have they already decided to surrender and assimilate into it?
From Salon • Oct. 20, 2021
I barely recognized myself, as I tried to assimilate into the team.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
