absorb
Americanverb (used with object)
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absorbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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absorbed,
past participle, past
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absorbing
present participle
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to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up.
A sponge absorbs water.
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to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate.
The empire absorbed many small nations.
- Synonyms:
- destroy, engulf, devour, consume, assimilate
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to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly.
so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.
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to occupy or fill.
This job absorbs all of my time.
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to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action.
Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.
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to take in without echo, recoil, or reflection.
to absorb sound and light; to absorb shock.
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to take in and utilize.
The market absorbed all the computers we could build. Can your brain absorb all this information?
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to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.).
The company will absorb all the research costs.
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Archaic. to swallow up.
verb
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to soak or suck up (liquids)
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to engage or occupy (the interest, attention, or time) of (someone); engross
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to receive or take in (the energy of an impact)
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physics to take in (all or part of incident radiated energy) and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted
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to take in or assimilate; incorporate
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to accept and find a market for (goods, etc)
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to pay for as part of a commercial transaction
the distributor absorbed the cost of transport
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chem to cause to undergo a process in which one substance, usually a liquid or gas, permeates into or is dissolved by a liquid or solid Compare adsorb
porous solids absorb water
hydrochloric acid absorbs carbon dioxide
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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absorbabilitynoun
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nonabsorbabilitynoun
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preabsorbverb
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overabsorbverb (used with object)
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reabsorbverb (used with object)
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absorbableadjective
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nonabsorbableadjective
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unabsorbableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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absorbsimple
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absorbssimple
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have absorbedperfect
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has absorbedperfect
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am absorbingprogressive
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are absorbingprogressive
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is absorbingprogressive
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have been absorbingperfect progressive
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has been absorbingperfect progressive
Past
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absorbedsimple
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had absorbedperfect
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was absorbingprogressive
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were absorbingprogressive
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had been absorbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of absorb
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin absorbēre, from ab- ab- + sorbēre “to suck in, swallow”
Explanation
To absorb is to take in or suck up like a sponge. If you don't hear your mother calling because you are reading, you could say you were absorbed in the book. If your parents buy groceries for a party you are throwing and don't make you pay, you could say that they decided to absorb the cost of the food. Young minds absorb information easily. The word, absorbent, describes something that is capable of absorbing something else. When you go swimming on a chilly day, it's best to carry an absorbent towel so that all of the water is absorbed from the surface of your skin.
Vocabulary lists containing absorb
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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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 is now selling those off even as big US companies issue debt to fund the AI infrastructure boom, leading to lots of bonds for the market to absorb.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Ms. Louis-Dreyfus’s glistening performance takes on a steely edge as Polly tries—and fails—to absorb Brooke’s news with equanimity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The findings, published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, challenge previous research suggesting that climate change is generally reducing the ability of forest soils to absorb methane.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
But the roster was deep enough for the Dodgers to absorb injuries in the regular season and still win 100 games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
I ask them more about themselves, giving Arthur some extra time to absorb this whole thing unfolding before him.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
But genuinely funny moments are rare, badly outnumbered by done-to-death musings regarding the mysteries of being alive and torturous melodramatic moments in which Klara dully absorbs the severity of Josie’s illness and Chrissy’s sorrow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
But the number on the label does not necessarily match the calories your body actually absorbs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
But if AI absorbs the most manual elements of pulling pacing reports and tweaking platform bids, for example, practitioners might be able to see and work beyond their silos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The Mediterranean Sea absorbs heat during summer, increasing evaporation and contributing to heavier rainfall when storms develop.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
There’s silence on the other end as Vivian absorbs this.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
The departures unfold as CNN insiders consider their future under Skydance, which absorbed the network as part of its $111-billion merger with Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
On average, the amount of methane absorbed by the soils increased by approximately 3% annually.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Investors submitted $2.77 in bids for every $1 of bonds available, while indirect bidders, a category that includes foreign institutions, absorbed more than 80% of the offering.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Sunlight is absorbed by chlorophyll, a large, complex molecule found in microscopic bodies called chloroplasts, which give plants their green color.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The doorway soon absorbed her boxes, and she gave me her hand and a smile, and said good-night, and was absorbed likewise.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
By monitoring how gas concentrations changed inside these chambers, the researchers could determine whether the soil was absorbing methane and calculate how much was being removed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
“You Can See Everything” is an absorbing study of public presentation and private doubts, a documentary that asks more questions than it answers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"The reason why all solar cells are black, and increasingly the whole panel is now black, is because black is the best absorbing colour."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
But “The Grapes of Wrath” and “East of Eden”—the latter of which Zoe Kazan has now adapted into a thoroughly absorbing series with an astonishing Florence Pugh—are forbidding tomes, for students and teachers alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Abby lay still, absorbing the knowledge that her whereabouts were unknown to the rest of the world.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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