assimilate

[ verb uh-sim-uh-leyt; noun uh-sim-uh-lit, -leyt ]

/ verb əˈsɪm əˌleɪt; noun əˈsɪm ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

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See synonyms for: assimilate / assimilated / assimilating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.

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 or with).

to compare; liken (usually followed by to or with).

Phonetics. to modify by assimilation.

verb (used without object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.

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 or with).

Phonetics. to become modified by assimilation.

noun

something that is assimilated.

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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 -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM assimilate

as·sim·i·la·tor, nounnon·as·sim·i·lat·ing, adjectivere·as·sim·i·late, verb, re·as·sim·i·lat·ed, re·as·sim·i·lat·ing.un·as·sim·i·lat·ed, adjective

un·as·sim·i·lat·ing, adjectivewell-as·sim·i·lat·ed, adjective

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

How to use assimilate in a sentence

We are introduced successively to the Palestinian, the Assimilator, and the Neither-here-nor-there.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
His policy is not the policy of Rome the conqueror, but Rome the assimilator.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells
It has been pointed out in these pages that Reynolds was a great assimilator.
Reynolds|S. L. (Samuel Levy) Bensusan
Goethe was an assimilator and summed up in himself the spirit of a century, the attitude of predecessors and contemporaries.
Laurence Sterne in Germany|Harvey Waterman Thayer

British Dictionary definitions for assimilate

assimilate

/ (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

(usually foll by into or with) to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjustedthe new immigrants assimilated easily

(usually foll by to or with) 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''

Derived forms of assimilate

assimilable, adjectiveassimilably, adverbassimilation, nounassimilative or assimilatory, adjective

assimilator, nounassimilatively, adverb

Word Origin for assimilate

C15: from Latin assimilāre to make one thing like another, from similis like, similar

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

assimilate

Origin of assimilate

OTHER WORDS FROM assimilate

Words related to assimilate

How to use assimilate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assimilate

Derived forms of assimilate

Word Origin for assimilate