absorb

absorb

assimilate; consume; soak up: A sponge absorbs water.

Not to be confused with:

adsorb – gather a substance on a surface: Charcoal will adsorb gasses.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

ab·sorb

 (əb-zôrb′, -sôrb′)

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

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

2.

a. To occupy the attention, interest, or time of; engross: The problem completely absorbed her. See Synonyms at engross.

b. To take up or occupy (one's time or interest, for example).

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 absorbēre : ab-, away; see ab-¹ + sorbēre, to suck.]

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ab·sorb′a·bil′i·ty n.

ab·sorb′a·ble adj.

ab·sorb′ed·ly adv.

ab·sorb′er n.

ab·sorb′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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. (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

[C15: via Old French from Latin absorbēre to suck, swallow, from ab-¹ + sorbēre to suck]

abˌsorbaˈbility n

abˈsorbable adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ab•sorb

(æbˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb)

v.t.

1. to suck up (a liquid); soak up: A sponge absorbs water.

2. to take in and assimilate; incorporate: The empire absorbed many nations.

3. to involve the full attention of; engross: This book will absorb the serious reader.

4. to occupy or fill (time, attention, etc.).

5. to assimilate by chemical or molecular action.

6. to take in without echo, recoil, or reflection: to absorb shock; to absorb sound.

7. to take in and utilize: to absorb information.

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

9. Archaic. to swallow up.

[1480–90; < Latin absorbēre=ab- ab- + sorbēre to suck in, swallow]

ab•sorb′a•ble, adj.

ab•sorb`a•bil′i•ty, n.

ab•sorb′er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

absorb

Past participle: absorbed
Gerund: absorbing

Imperative

absorb

absorb

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

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

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

absorb

verb

1. To take in (moisture or liquid):

drink, imbibe, soak (up), sop up, take up.

2. To occupy the full attention of:

consume, engross, immerse, monopolize, preoccupy.

3. To take in and incorporate, especially mentally:

assimilate, digest, imbibe, take up.

Informal: soak (up).

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

يَمْتَصْ، يَتَشَرب

pohltitvsát

absorberefordybeopslugeopsugeoptage

absorbierenaufsaugenaushaltenbeschäftigenertragen

απορροφώαφομοιώνω

absorberabsortochupar

neelduma

imeäomaksua

absorberaccaparercaptiveréponger

elmerülfelszív

drekka í sigupptekinn

assorbireassortoassumersiavvincentefagocitare

sugeriamasissugėrimassugertiužvaldyti

absorbētsaistītuzsūkt

absorberenimeäondergaan

absorberesuge

absorver

абсорбироватьвбиратьпоглощатьвпитыватьпоглотить

vpiťzahĺbiť sa

sprejetivpiti

förbrukakonsumera

emmektüm ilgi ve dikkatini çekmek

使专心致志于吸收

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

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

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

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

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

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

absorb

(əbˈzoːb) verb

1. to soak up. The cloth absorbed the ink I had spilled. absorbeer يَمْتَصْ، يَتَشَرب поглъщам absorver vsát aufsaugen opsuge; absorbere; optage απορροφώabsorber 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, absorberewchłaniać جذب كول 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 absorver pohltit fesseln opsluge; fordybe απορροφώ, 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· 의 등을) 빼다 užvaldyti saistīt (uzmanību) diambil perhatian absorberenfordypet, opptatt av, oppslukt pochłaniać د يو سړى پام ځانته راګرځول absorver a absorbi поглощать zahĺbiť sa, zaujať prevzeti zaokupiti uppsluka, fängsla ทำให้หมกมุ่น t��m ilgi ve dikkatini çekmek 使(某人)完全投入 поглинати متوجہ ہونا thu hút 使专心致志于

abˈsorbent adjective

able to soak up. absorbent paper. absorberend مَاص ، مُمْتَص попиващ absorvente savý, pohlcující saugfähig absorberende; opsugende απορροφητικόςabsorbente 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 absorberendabsorberende, sugende chłonny جذب كوونكى 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

abˈsorption (-ˈzoːp-) noun

absorbeerder إمْتِصَاص، إسْتِيعَاب، إنْهِمَاك فِي поглъщане absorção vstřebání, pohlcení das Aufsaugen absorbtion απορρόφησηabsorción imamine مجذوبیت؛ ربایش imukyky absorptionספיגה अवशोषित करना upijanje felszívás, abszorpció penyerapan ísog, upptaka assorbimento 吸収 흡수 sugėrimas absorbcija serapan absorptieopptatthet; absorpsjonwchłanianie جذابيت 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

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

ab·sorb

vt. absorber, sorber, chupar.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

absorb

vt absorber

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.