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
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.
See Examples For:
Indeed, Herbert seemed to absorb fewer hits than he did in a typical game last season, but he didn’t have a lot of places to go with the football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Anecdotal evidence gathered by clinicians and fire departments has shown promising signs that it could be used to rid firefighters of some of the cancer-causing chemicals they absorb during fires.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Stronger energy prices could support biodiesel demand, while Indonesia’s proposed B60 biodiesal mandate in 2027 may absorb more palm oil and tighten exports, she reckons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The lime converts arecoline into a free base form, which makes it easier for the body to absorb.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
The neurons of Bobby’s brain seemed to absorb the limitations and possibilities of each piece in any given position, storing them for future reference.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Soot deposited on snow and ice absorbs more sunlight and accelerates melting.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“It seems elitist maybe,” Flanders added, but the small island absorbs a “crush” of people in the summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
When enough of them take their money out, the manager sells bonds to pay them at whatever the market offers that morning, and everyone still in the fund absorbs it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
When the molecule absorbs energy from a brief ultraviolet laser pulse, its electrons enter a higher energy state.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
The books are by Dutch painters, who painted in a muted palette, so although he absorbs some of what Theo is trying to tell him, Vincent's color range remains more Dutch than French.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
To make that comparison possible, the researchers combined observations of Venus with a radiative-transfer model that tracks how light is repeatedly scattered and absorbed by cloud droplets and atmospheric molecules.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
More than 90 percent of excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the oceans, sparing land from warming but at severe cost to marine life, reefs and coastal communities.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Remove some cloud and more sunlight reaches the sea, where much of it is absorbed as heat.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Defense planners are also recasting the country’s security priorities to prepare Japan for a prolonged defense in the event of any conflict, a lesson absorbed from the drawn-out war in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Strontium 90 is chemically similar to calcium, and so it is absorbed by the body and deposited in the bones.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
It was also Iran's third-largest customer, absorbing nearly 12 percent of its exports, worth more than $7 billion, according to the World Trade Organization.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
It means the unknown absorber must either be extremely effective at absorbing light, exist at a very high concentration inside the droplets, or satisfy both conditions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Part of growing as a creative is absorbing more reference materials, especially those outside of your comfort zone.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
For a long time, the Earth has been absorbing more energy than it loses.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
For a moment he was absolutely still, absorbing the house’s vibrations.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
