Synonyms

assimilate

American

[uh-sim-uh-layt, uh-sim-uh-lit, -layt] / əˈsɪm əˌleɪt, əˈsɪm ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb.

He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip.
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.
Physiology. to convert (food) to substances suitable for incorporation into the body and its tissues.
to cause to resemble (usually followed by to orwith ).
to compare; liken (usually followed by to orwith ).
Phonetics. to modify by assimilation.

verb (used without object)

to be or become absorbed.
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.
Physiology. (of food) to be converted into the substance of the body; be absorbed into the system.
to bear a resemblance (usually followed by to orwith ).
Phonetics. to become modified by assimilation.

noun

something that is assimilated.

assimilate British

/ əˈsɪmɪˌleɪt /

verb

(tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly
(tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues
(intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood
to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjusted

the new immigrants assimilated easily
to become or cause to become similar
(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''

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing assimilate

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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.

See Examples For:

assimilate assimilates assimilated assimilating

It could be a long season ahead but we cannot expect 10 new players to assimilate immediately.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The incident occurred a day after China put in force a law viewed as the culmination of a long-running campaign to assimilate the country’s ethnic minorities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

"I don't know if my body just doesn't assimilate the supplements as well, but minoxidil is definitely more effective long-term," she said.

From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026

One of the core themes within the documentary is how we as Chicanos view the American Dream: Can we achieve it by being ourselves, or do we have to assimilate?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026

As I tried to assimilate into American culture, tensions between my parents and me grew.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Jacques Bouvier added: 'Because rubisco assimilates the sugars which fuel life on Earth, improving this enzyme is one of the most promising avenues to help combat food insecurity.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024

Hazel-May, however, assimilates just fine, and Nella begins to feel increasingly on the outs with those around her.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023

He has so far taken all the snaps with the first team, with mixed results, as he assimilates to new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s system.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 2, 2023

He assimilates himself so he can get in contact with Jack in the Borg collective.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023

NOTE.—The forms ac-, af-, etc., are euphonic variations of ad-, and follow generally the rule that the final consonant of the prefix assimilates to the initial letter of the root.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

The current study shows that those who have assimilated more positive age beliefs often show improvement, Levy said.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

Tom, whose family fled Nazi Germany when he was a boy, is a thoroughly assimilated, tennis-obsessed Englishman who brings his own more conciliatory perspective to the discussion as a British Jew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

Germans ignored it out of shame; Jews, living precariously in exile, rejected it as too assimilated and bourgeois.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Just as his own immigrant forebears assimilated and their children were average, upwardly mobile, all-American citizens, so too are the more recent immigrants.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025

The phone booth was decorated with faded stickers for bands I’d never heard of and brands that sounded only vaguely familiar—relics of rebel kids long since assimilated into adulthood.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

In those 1990s clubs and car shows, you could see and feel that Asian Americans weren’t assimilating culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

“What are young immigrants assimilating to?” he asks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Like a lot of veterans, he had trouble assimilating into the civilian world.

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026

So, it's not just about filter bubbles on social media but also about an innate way of assimilating information.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2024

Returning to District 8 or assimilating into another district would be impossible.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023