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.
See Examples For:
It could be a long season ahead but we cannot expect 10 new players to assimilate immediately.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
Like any other hive mind, the Others have a biological imperative to assimilate the immune, whether the immune wants to be integrated or not.
From Salon ● Dec. 29, 2025
The instruction was intended to assimilate Mollie into white society and transform her into what the authorities conceived of as the ideal woman.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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
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
Comment: New season, same story: A few key returnees, a handful of talented transfers, and a system that assimilates newcomers as well as any in the land.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021
There it contributes to partial melting of crustal rock, and thus it assimilates much more felsic material.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
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
And what inspired “Marcriá,” once you assimilated those feelings?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 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
During the same period, vampires were understood differently in the Black Sea region, where nomadic groups of people may have assimilated ideas from disparate sources, including Viking society and the cultures of the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
All of us have assimilated this way of thinking, whether we appreciate it or not.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
The U.S. has a strong record of assimilating newcomers, from Asians in San Francisco to Irish in New York to Cubans in Miami, and birthright citizenship has been part of that story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Like a lot of veterans, he had trouble assimilating into the civilian world.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
This type of skepticism continued even as wave after wave of immigrants — Irish, Italians, Jews, Chinese, Mexicans — ended up assimilating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025
They, too, shifted from plant-based to fungal-based food webs as the main source of their energy, assimilating more than 50 percent brown carbon under warming conditions, compared to 26 percent at control sites.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2024
He ceased to work at his tooth and sat still, assimilating the possibilities of irresponsible authority.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
