absorb
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"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.
“Our customers are just not willing to absorb any price increases,” Carden said.
From Salon • May 15, 2026
The molecules absorb infrared energy rising from below and then release part of that energy back into space.
From Science Daily • May 14, 2026
State-run oil companies are already running out of capacity to absorb mounting losses.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
In the past six years alone, markets have had to absorb a global pandemic, major tariff changes, and a few wars.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Deydey’s compliments were so rare that when he gave them Omakayas at first didn’t absorb what she’d heard.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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.
