absorb

ab·sorb  (b-sôrb, -zôrb)

tr.v. ab·sorbed, ab·sorb·ing, ab·sorbs

1. To take (something) in through or as through pores or interstices.

2. To occupy the full attention, interest, or time of; engross. See Synonyms at monopolize.

3. To retain (radiation or sound, for example) wholly, without reflection or transmission.

4. To take in; assimilate: immigrants who were absorbed into the social mainstream.

5. To learn; acquire: "Matisse absorbed the lesson and added to it a new language of color" (Peter Plagen).

6. To receive (an impulse) without echo or recoil: a fabric that absorbs sound; a bumper that absorbs impact.

7. To assume or pay for (a cost or costs).

8. To endure; accommodate: couldn't absorb the additional hardships.

9. To use up; consume: The project has absorbed all of our department's resources.

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[Middle English, to swallow up, from Old French absorber, from Latin absorbre : ab-, away; see ab-¹ + sorbre, to suck.]

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ab·sorba·bili·ty n.

ab·sorba·ble adj.

ab·sorbed·ly adv.

ab·sorber n.

ab·sorbing·ly adv.

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absorb [əbˈsɔːb -ˈzɔːb]

vb (tr)

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 / General Physics) 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. (Chemistry) 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 porous solids absorb water hydrochloric acid absorbs carbon dioxide Compare adsorb

[via Old French from Latin absorbēre to suck, swallow, from ab-¹ + sorbēre to suck]

absorbability  n

absorbable  adj

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	absorb - become imbued; "The liquids, light, and gases absorb" chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions reabsorb, resorb - undergo resorption imbibe, assimilate - take (gas, light or heat) into a solution sorb, take up - take up a liquid or a gas either by adsorption or by absorption
	2.	absorb - take up mentally; "he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe" assimilate, ingest, take in larn, learn, acquire - gain knowledge or skills; "She learned dancing from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire language at an amazing rate" imbibe - receive into the mind and retain; "Imbibe ethical principles"
	3.	absorb - take up, as of debts or payments; "absorb the costs for something" take over fund - furnish money for; "The government funds basic research in many areas"
	4.	absorb - take in, also metaphorically; "The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister's words" imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck up, suck, take up, take in, draw mop, mop up, wipe up - to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop; "Mop the hallway now"; "He mopped her forehead with a towel" blot - dry (ink) with blotting paper sponge up - absorb as if with a sponge; "sponge up the spilled milk on the counter"
	5.	absorb - cause to become one with; "The sales tax is absorbed into the state income tax" coalesce, conflate, fuse, immix, mix, merge, commingle, blend, meld, flux, combine - mix together different elements; "The colors blend well"
	6.	absorb - suck or take up or in; "A black star absorbs all matter" take in suck in, suck - attract by using an inexorable force, inducement, etc.; "The current boom in the economy sucked many workers in from abroad" give out, emit, give off - give off, send forth, or discharge; as of light, heat, or radiation, vapor, etc.; "The ozone layer blocks some harmful rays which the sun emits"
	7.	absorb - devote (oneself) fully to; "He immersed himself into his studies" engross, engulf, steep, soak up, immerse, plunge immerse, plunge - cause to be immersed; "The professor plunged his students into the study of the Italian text" focus, pore, rivet, center, centre, concentrate - direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies" drink in, drink - be fascinated or spell-bound by; pay close attention to; "The mother drinks in every word of her son on the stage"
	8.	absorb - assimilate or take in; "The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society" receive, take in, invite - express willingness to have in one's home or environs; "The community warmly received the refugees"
	9.	absorb - consume all of one's attention or time; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely" engage, engross, occupy involve - occupy or engage the interest of; "His story completely involved me during the entire afternoon" consume - engage fully; "The effort to pass the exam consumed all his energy" rivet - hold (someone's attention); "The discovery of the skull riveted the paleontologists" interest - excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of

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absorb

verb

1. soak up, drink in, devour, suck up, receive, digest, imbibe, ingest, osmose Refined sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly.

2. assimilate, take in, incorporate, accommodate, homogenize, intermix an economy capable of absorbing thousands of immigrants

3. cushion, suppress, soften, pillow, bolster, stifle, dampen, muffle, buttress, deaden footwear to absorb the impact of a hard pavement

4. consume, use, use up, spend, waste, employ, drain, exhaust, squander, utilize, expend, eat up, fritter away The campaign absorbed vast amounts of capital.

5. engross, hold, involve, fill, arrest, fix, occupy, engage, fascinate, preoccupy, engulf, fill up, immerse, rivet, captivate, monopolize, enwrap a second career which absorbed her more completely than acting ever had

Translations

absorb [əbˈzɔːb] VT

1. [+ liquid] → absorber; [+ heat, sound, shock, vibrations, radiation] → amortiguar

2. (fig) [+ information] → asimilar; [+ time, energy] → ocupar, absorber
the business absorbs most of his time → el negocio absorbe or le lleva la mayor parte de su tiempo
the parent company absorbs the losses made by the subsidiary → la empresa matriz absorbe las pérdidas de la filial
the country absorbed 1,000 refugees → el país dio entrada a or acogió a 1.000 refugiados

3. (= engross) to be absorbed in → estar absorto en, estar ensimismado con
she was absorbed in a book → estaba absorta en or ensimismada con un libro
to get absorbed in → centrarse or meterse de lleno en

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absorb [əbˈzɔː^rb] vt

(= soak up) [+ liquid, heat, light, water, carbon dioxide] → absorber

[+ impact, shock] → amortir

(= assimilate) [+ group, business] → absorber
Small businesses are being absorbed by larger ones → Les petites entreprises sont en train d'être absorbées par les plus grosses.

(= cope with) [+ effects, losses] → absorber
We can't absorb those costs → Nous ne pouvons absorber ces coûts.

(= take in) [+ information, details] → assimiler; [+ atmosphere] → s'imprégner de

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absorb

vt → absorbieren, aufnehmen; liquid also → aufsaugen; knowledge, news also → in sich (acc) → aufnehmen; vibration → auffangen, absorbieren; shock → dämpfen; light, sound → absorbieren, schlucken; people, firm → absorbieren, integrieren (→ into in +acc); costs etc → tragen; one’s time → in Anspruch nehmen; she absorbs things quickly → sie hat eine rasche Auffassungsgabe; to be absorbed in a book etc → in ein Buch etc vertieft or versunken sein; to get absorbed in a book etc → sich in ein Buch etc vertiefen; she was completely absorbed in her family/job → sie ging völlig in ihrer Familie/Arbeit auf

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absorb [əbˈsɔːb] vt (also fig) → assorbire; (costs) → ammortizzare; (information) → assimilare
she was absorbed in a book → era immersa or assorta nella lettura di un libro

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absorb

v absorb [əbˈzoːb]

1 to soak up The cloth absorbed the ink I had spilled. absorbeer يَمْتَصْ، يَتَشَرب поглъщам vsát opsuge; absorbere; optage aufsaugen απορροφώ absorber imama جذب کردن imeä absorber לִסְפּוֹג सोखना upiti felszív menyerap drekka í sig assorbire 吸収する 흡수하다 sugerti absorbēt; uzsūkt menyerap absorberen suge opp, absorbere wchłaniać absorver a absorbi впитывать vsať, vpiť vpiti upijati absorbera, suga upp ดูดซึม emmek 吸收 вбирати; абсорбувати جذب کرنا thấm 吸收

2 to take up the whole attention of (a person) He was completely absorbed in his book. verdiep يَنْهَمِك فِي، يَنْغَمِس ، يَسْتَغْرِق فِي погълнат pohltit opsluge; fordybe fesseln απορροφώ (μτφ.), έλκω την προσοχή absorber haarama مجذوب کردن uppoutua absorber לְרַתֵק ग्रहण करना usredotočiti se elmerül vmiben mencurahkan perhatian upptekinn assorbire 夢中にする (시간· 주의 등을) 빼앗다 užvaldyti saistīt (uzmanību) diambil perhatian absorberen fordypet, opptatt av, oppslukt pochłaniać absorver a absorbi поглощать zahĺbiť sa, zaujať prevzeti zaokupiti uppsluka, fängsla ทำให้หมกมุ่น tüm ilgi ve dikkatini çekmek поглинати متوجہ ہونا thu hút 使专心致志［于］

adj abˈsorbent

able to soak up absorbent paper. absorberend مَاص ، مُمْتَص попиващ savý, pohlcující absorberende; opsugende saugfähig απορροφητικός absorbente imav جذب کننده imukykyinen absorbant סוֹפֵג अवशोषक upijajući felszívó mampu menyerap gleypinn, sem getur sogið í sig assorbente 吸収性の 흡수성의 sugeriamasis absorbējošs; uzsūcošs boleh menyerap absorberend absorberende, (opp)sugende chłonny absorvente absorbant впитывающий pijavý, absorbujúci, pohlcujúci vpojen upijaći absorberande, uppsugande ซึ่งสามารถดูดซึม emici 具吸收力的 всмоктувальний, абсорбційний جاذب thấm 能吸收的

n abˈsorption [-ˈzoːp-]

absorbeerder إمْتِصَاص، إسْتِيعَاب، إنْهِمَاك فِي поглъщане vstřebání, pohlcení absorbtion das Aufsaugen απορρόφηση absorción imamine مجذوبیت؛ ربایش imukyky absorption ספִיגָה अवशोषित करना upijanje felszívás, abszorpció penyerapan ísog, upptaka assorbimento 吸収 흡수 sugėrimas absorbcija serapan absorptie opptatthet; absorpsjon wchłanianie absorção absorbţie впитывание; поглощение pohltenie vpijanje upijanje absorbering การดูดซึม emme 吸收 абсорбція, вбирання جذب کرنے کا عمل sự thấm; sự mê mải 吸收