imbibe

[ im-bahyb ]

/ ɪmˈbaɪb /

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verb (used with object), im·bibed, im·bib·ing.

to consume (liquids) by drinking; drink: He imbibed great quantities of iced tea.

to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat: Plants imbibe moisture from the soil.

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.

to drink, especially alcoholic beverages: Just a soft drink for me—I don't imbibe.

to absorb liquid or moisture.

Archaic. to soak or saturate; imbue.

Nearby words

Origin of imbibe

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

SYNONYMS FOR imbibe

1. swallow.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR imbibe ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsim·bib·er, nounpre·im·bibe, verb (used with object), pre·im·bibed, pre·im·bib·ing.un·im·bibed, adjectiveun·im·bib·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. See drink.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for imbibe

OK, so he used to imbibe to excess, but he no longer partakes.
Just Kill Mr. Bates Already! How to Save ‘Downton Abbey’|Andrew Romano|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Single or spoken for, everyone has reason enough to imbibe on the most loved/hated holiday around.
Valentine's Day Cocktail Recipes to Fall in Love With|Alie Ward, Georgia Hardstark|February 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Anneli Rufus on 15 stats that predict your propensity to imbibe.
Who Drinks the Most Alcohol?|Anneli Rufus|December 29, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Along with their invitations, each received a miniature bottle of Stoli vodka, with the suggestion that they imbibe first.
VIP Portrait Show|Judith H. Dobrzynski|November 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST

It is impossible to travel about Andalusia and not imbibe a kind feeling for those Moors.
Washington Irving|Charles Dudley Warner
They readily, therefore, imbibe water or other liquids, and get rid of the air.
Novum Organum|Francis Bacon
Ice will not imbibe this air, and therefore freezing expels it from water.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley
I was so unused to wine that the sip I took exhilarated me, though it was the slightest wine one can imbibe for such purpose.
Charles Auchester, Volume 1 of 2|Elizabeth Sheppard
But beware how you imbibe knowledge from other sources; from the traditions of men; from mere human learning.
Count Ulrich of Lindburg|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for imbibe

imbibe

/ (ɪmˈbaɪb) /

verb

to drink (esp alcoholic drinks)

literary to take in or assimilate (ideas, facts, etc)to imbibe the spirit of the Renaissance

(tr) to take in as if by drinkingto imbibe fresh air

to absorb or cause to absorb liquid or moisture; assimilate or saturate

Derived Formsimbiber, noun

Word Origin for imbibe

C14: from Latin imbibere, from bibere to drink

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

Word Origin and History for imbibe

imbibe

late 14c., from Old French imbiber, embiber "to soak into," from Latin imbibere "absorb, drink in, inhale," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + bibere "to drink," related to potare "to drink," from PIE *po(i)- "to drink" (see potion). Figurative sense of "mentally drink in" (knowledge, ideas, etc.) was the main one in classical Latin, first attested in English 1550s. Related: Imbibed; imbibing.