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View synonyms for imbibe

imbibe

[ im-bahyb ]

verb (used with object)

, im·bibed, im·bib·ing.
  1. to consume (liquids) by drinking; drink:

    He imbibed great quantities of iced tea.

    Synonyms: swallow

  2. to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat:

    Plants imbibe moisture from the soil.

  3. to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like:

    to imbibe a sermon; to imbibe beautiful scenery.



verb (used without object)

, im·bibed, im·bib·ing.
  1. to drink, especially alcoholic beverages:

    Just a soft drink for me—I don't imbibe.

  2. to absorb liquid or moisture.
  3. Archaic. to soak or saturate; imbue.

imbibe

/ ɪmˈbaɪb /

verb

  1. to drink (esp alcoholic drinks)
  2. literary.
    to take in or assimilate (ideas, facts, etc)

    to imbibe the spirit of the Renaissance

  3. tr to take in as if by drinking

    to imbibe fresh air

  4. to absorb or cause to absorb liquid or moisture; assimilate or saturate
“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


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Derived Forms

  • imˈbiber, noun
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Other Words From

  • im·biber noun
  • preim·bibe verb (used with object) preimbibed preimbibing
  • unim·bibed adjective
  • unim·bibing adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of imbibe1

1350–1400; < Latin imbibere to drink in, equivalent to im- im- 1 + bibere to drink; replacing Middle English enbiben < Middle French embiber < Latin, as above
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Word History and Origins

Origin of imbibe1

C14: from Latin imbibere, from bibere to drink
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Synonym Study

See drink.
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Example Sentences

One of the main consequences of imbibing alcohol is dehydration—your liver uses a lot of the water in your body to process and break down alcohol, so all other organs, including your skin, lose out.

The show also offers the specter of stars imbibing at dinner tables, a good fit for a viral age.

Some are trying to combat concerns of customers unwittingly imbibing too much with chemometrics — science-based lab reporting that serves like nutritional facts for weed.

From Ozy

When it was time to step into Holiday’s shoes she researched thoroughly and even went as far as attempting to transform herself into the singer by imbibing and chain smoking.

Stories are powerful because they are vehicles for imbibing moral worldviews.

OK, so he used to imbibe to excess, but he no longer partakes.

At the very least, they establish a tone and mindset that rank-and-file liberals imbibe and accept.

Single or spoken for, everyone has reason enough to imbibe on the most loved/hated holiday around.

Anneli Rufus on 15 stats that predict your propensity to imbibe.

Sutherland is perhaps the most righteous in his intoxication of all the celebrities known to conspicuously imbibe.

Nothing was more natural than that two such women should imbibe the deepest tenderness for each other.

The peasants imbibe a little noisy merriment at the tavern, but their helpmates always have grave, stern countenances.

M. de Voltaire, say they, never could imbibe these Sentiments in France.

It may be truly said, with regard to those who imbibe the spirit of their Master, "no man liveth to himself."

Animal miasmata, like all other poison, become more active in proportion to the quantity which we imbibe.

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