Adjacent Words

Absorb definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ABSORB', v.t. [L. absorbeo, ab and sorbeo, to drink in; to draw or drink in; whence sirup, sherbet, shrub.]
1. To drink in; to suck up; to imbibe; as a spunge, or as the lacteals of the body.
2. To drink in, swallow up, or overwhelm with water, as a body in a whirlpool.
3. To waste wholly or sink in expenses; to exhaust,; as, to absorb an estate in luxury.
4. To engross or engage wholly, as absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: become imbued; "The liquids, light, and gases absorb"
2: take up mentally; "he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe" [syn: absorb, assimilate, ingest, take in]
3: take up, as of debts or payments; "absorb the costs for something" [syn: absorb, take over]
4: take in, also metaphorically; "The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister's words" [syn: absorb, suck, imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck up, draw, take in, take up]
5: cause to become one with; "The sales tax is absorbed into the state income tax"
6: suck or take up or in; "A black star absorbs all matter" [syn: absorb, take in] [ant: emit, give off, give out]
7: devote (oneself) fully to; "He immersed himself into his studies" [syn: steep, immerse, engulf, plunge, engross, absorb, soak up]
8: assimilate or take in; "The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society"
9: consume all of one's attention or time; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely" [syn: absorb, engross, engage, occupy]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Anglo-French asorbir to swallow up, from Latin absorb?re, from ab- + sorb?re to suck up; akin to Lithuanian surbti to sip, Greek rophein to gulp down Date: 15th century 1. to take in and make part of an existent whole <the capacity of China to absorb invaders> 2. a. to suck up or take up <a sponge absorbs water> <charcoal absorbs gas> <plant roots absorb water> b. to take in ; acquire, learn <convictions absorbed in youth — M. R. Cohen> c. use up, consume <the fever absorbed her strength> 3. to engage or engross wholly <absorbed in thought> 4. a. (1) to receive without recoil or echo <provided with a sound-absorbing surface> (2) endure, sustain <absorbing hardships> (3) assume, bear <the expenses were absorbed by the company> b. to transform (radiant energy) into a different form especially with a resulting rise in temperature <the earth absorbs the sun's rays> • absorbability noun • absorbable adjective • absorber noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 include or incorporate as part of itself or oneself (the country successfully absorbed its immigrants). 2 take in; suck up (liquid, heat, knowledge, etc.) (she quickly absorbed all she was taught). 3 reduce the effect or intensity of; deal easily with (an impact, sound, difficulty, etc.). 4 consume (income, time, resources, etc.) (his debts absorbed half his income). 5 engross the attention of (television absorbs them completely). Derivatives: absorbable adj. absorbability n. absorber n. Etymology: ME f. F absorber or L absorbere absorpt- (as AB-, sorbere suck in)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Absorb Ab*sorb", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absorbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Absorbing.] [L. absorbere; ab + sorbere to suck in, akin to Gr. ?: cf. F. absorber.] 1. To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include. ``Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all.'' --Cowper. The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion. --W. Irving. 2. To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body. --Bacon. 3. To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth. 4. To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass. --Nichol. --p. 8 Syn: To Absorb, Engross, Swallow up, Engulf. Usage: These words agree in one general idea, that of completely taking up. They are chiefly used in a figurative sense and may be distinguished by a reference to their etymology. We speak of a person as absorbed (lit., drawn in, swallowed up) in study or some other employment of the highest interest. We speak of a person as ebgrossed (lit., seized upon in the gross, or wholly) by something which occupies his whole time and thoughts, as the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment of honor. We speak of a person (under a stronger image) as swallowed up and lost in that which completely occupies his thoughts and feelings, as in grief at the death of a friend, or in the multiplied cares of life. We speak of a person as engulfed in that which (like a gulf) takes in all his hopes and interests; as, engulfed in misery, ruin, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(absorbs, absorbing, absorbed) 1. If something absorbs a liquid, gas, or other substance, it soaks it up or takes it in. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and moisture from the soil... Refined sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. = soak up VERB: V n, be V-ed into n 2. If something absorbs light, heat, or another form of energy, it takes it in. A household radiator absorbs energy in the form of electric current and releases it in the form of heat. VERB: V n 3. If a group is absorbed into a larger group, it becomes part of the larger group. The Colonial Office was absorbed into the Foreign Office. ...an economy capable of absorbing thousands of immigrants. VERB: be V-ed into n, V n 4. If something absorbs a force or shock, it reduces its effect. ...footwear which does not absorb the impact of the foot striking the ground. VERB: V n 5. If a system or society absorbs changes, effects, or costs, it is able to deal with them. The banks would be forced to absorb large losses... VERB: V n 6. If something absorbs something valuable such as money, space, or time, it uses up a great deal of it. It absorbed vast amounts of capital that could have been used for investment... = consume VERB: V n 7. If you absorb information, you learn and understand it. Too often he only absorbs half the information in the manual... = digest, assimilate VERB: V n 8. If something absorbs you, it interests you a great deal and takes up all your attention and energy. ...a second career which absorbed her more completely than her acting ever had. VERB: V n see also absorbed, absorbing

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Imbibe, take in, take up, suck in, suck up, drink in, appropriate, assimilate. 2. Consume, exhaust, destroy, engorge, devour, engulf, swallow up. 3. Engross, engage, immerse, occupy, arrest, fix, rivet.

Moby Thesaurus

ablate, absorb the attention, adsorb, appreciate, apprehend, appropriate, arrest, assimilate, be with one, bleed white, blot, blot up, burn up, buy up, catch, catch on, catch up in, charm, chemisorb, chemosorb, come uppermost, comprehend, conceive, concern, consume, corner, deplete, dig, digest, drain, drain of resources, draw in, drink, drink in, drink up, eat, eat up, embarrass, embody, enchant, engage, engage the attention, engage the mind, engage the thoughts, engross, engross the mind, engross the thoughts, enmesh, entangle, enthrall, erode, exercise, exhaust, expend, fascinate, fathom, fill the mind, filter in, finish, finish off, follow, get, get hold of, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, gobble, gobble up, grab, grasp, grip, have, have it taped, hold, hold spellbound, hold the interest, hypnotize, imbibe, imbue, immerse, implicate, impoverish, impregnate, incorporate, infiltrate, infuse, ingest, interest, involve, involve the interest, ken, know, learn, master, mesmerize, metabolize, monopolize, monopolize the thoughts, obsess, obsess the mind, occupy, occupy the attention, occupy the mind, osmose, percolate in, permeate, predigest, preoccupy, read, realize, savvy, seep in, seize, seize the meaning, seize the mind, sense, sew up, slurp up, soak in, soak up, sorb, spellbind, spend, sponge, squander, suck dry, suck into, swallow, swallow up, swill up, take, take in, take up, tangle, understand, use up, waste away, wear away