absorb

American  

[ab-sawrb, -zawrb] / æbˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb /

verb (used with object)

• absorbs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• absorbed,
  past participle,  past
• absorbing
  present participle

1. to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up.

   A sponge absorbs water.

2. to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate.

   The empire absorbed many small nations.

   Synonyms:

   destroy, engulf, devour, consume, assimilate

3. to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly.

   so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.

4. to occupy or fill.

   This job absorbs all of my time.

5. to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action.

   Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.

6. to take in without echo, recoil, or reflection.

   to absorb sound and light; to absorb shock.

7. to take in and utilize.

   The market absorbed all the computers we could build. Can your brain absorb all this information?

8. to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.).

   The company will absorb all the research costs.

9. Archaic. to swallow up.

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absorb British  

/ əbˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb /

verb

1. to soak or suck up (liquids)

2. to engage or occupy (the interest, attention, or time) of (someone); engross

3. to receive or take in (the energy of an impact)

4. physics to take in (all or part of incident radiated energy) and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted

5. to take in or assimilate; incorporate

6. to accept and find a market for (goods, etc)

7. to pay for as part of a commercial transaction

   the distributor absorbed the cost of transport

8. 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• absorbability
  noun
• nonabsorbability
  noun
• preabsorb
  verb
• overabsorb
  verb (used with object)
• reabsorb
  verb (used with object)
• absorbable
  adjective
• nonabsorbable
  adjective
• unabsorbable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• absorbing
  present
• absorbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• absorb
  simple
• absorbs
  simple
• have absorbed
  perfect
• has absorbed
  perfect
• am absorbing
  progressive
• are absorbing
  progressive
• is absorbing
  progressive
• have been absorbing
  perfect progressive
• has been absorbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• absorbed
  simple
• had absorbed
  perfect
• was absorbing
  progressive
• were absorbing
  progressive
• had been absorbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will absorb
  simple
• will have absorbed
  perfect
• will be absorbing
  progressive
• will have been absorbing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of absorb

First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin absorbēre, from ab- ab- + sorbēre “to suck in, swallow”

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

absorb absorbs absorbed absorbing

Animals such as fireflies produce their own light through chemical reactions, while fluorescent organisms must first absorb light from their surroundings.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

I want to hear whether unit costs are improving, whether benefits extend beyond the newest facilities and whether efficiency is helping Amazon absorb growth without a matching increase in resources.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Rivan’s technology involves capturing carbon dioxide from the air with large fans that have specialist materials to absorb the gas from the atmosphere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

"Landlords are going to find it very, very hard to absorb those void periods," she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

It was overwhelming and beautiful, and I stood in the center of the room, trying to absorb it all.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

“A great CFO evaluates risks alongside the CEO, makes clear decisions, owns those decisions, absorbs operational risk for the team, and pivots decisively when circumstances require.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

When we see Ho-seok scolded at a grueling new job for endangering himself, he mutely absorbs it and shuffles to the side.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

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

After Neu5Gc is consumed, the body absorbs it and can incorporate it into human tissues.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

There’s a long pause at the table while everyone absorbs this.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

He said there is less slack in the economy relative to a year ago, and expects the remaining spare capacity to be absorbed during the next two years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

At the same time, existing Indigenous and Afro-diasporic cosmologies were either erased or absorbed, hiding in plain sight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Investors absorbed a steady deluge of high-quality debt issued by the big AI “hyperscalers” in 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Substances absorbed from the intestines travel to the liver through the bloodstream, making liver health particularly sensitive to changes in gut bacteria and intestinal barrier function.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

It was also their nests, made of glistening bubbles that absorbed sunlight and glowed all night, as if hundreds of miniature rainbows had gathered for a party.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Two intrepid teens head into the unknown on an absorbing, densely detailed rescue mission — not for the especially young — that stuns at every turn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

Jet-fuel expenses have surged by tens of billions of dollars, but carriers say households are absorbing the increase in airfares.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

"The difference here is, the thing absorbing matter is not a tiny black hole but a star, which is relatively big in size," Burdge explains.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 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

Berlioz never flinched from reminding whoever would listen of his great troubles and adversities, nor from absorbing those torments in his music, much of which is richly rewarding to listen to.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

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• follow
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• incorporate
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