absorb
verb /əbˈzɔːb/
/əbˈzɔːrb/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they absorb | /əbˈzɔːb/ /əbˈzɔːrb/ |
| he / she / it absorbs | /əbˈzɔːbz/ /əbˈzɔːrbz/ |
| past simple absorbed | /əbˈzɔːbd/ /əbˈzɔːrbd/ |
| past participle absorbed | /əbˈzɔːbd/ /əbˈzɔːrbd/ |
| -ing form absorbing | /əbˈzɔːbɪŋ/ /əbˈzɔːrbɪŋ/ |
- to take in a liquid, gas or other substance from the surface or space around
- absorb something Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
- Let the rice cook until it has absorbed all the water.
- absorb something into something The cream is easily absorbed into the skin.
Wordfinder- absorb
- condense
- dilute
- dissolve
- evaporate
- filter
- immerse
- liquid
- rinse
- saturated
Extra Examples- Concrete absorbs very little moisture.
- Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- rapidly
- directly
- …
- into
- absorb something to take in and keep heat, light, energy, sound, etc. instead of reflecting it
- Black walls absorb a lot of heat during the day.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- rapidly
- directly
- …
- into
- absorb something to reduce the effect of a physical impact or movement
- This tennis racket absorbs shock on impact.
- The bats have graphite shafts that absorb the vibration.
- absorb something to take something into the mind and learn or understand it synonym take in
- It's a lot of information to absorb all at once.
- It took me several days to absorb the fact of her death.
- They spent a week in Paris just absorbing the atmosphere.
Extra Examples- He stood still, absorbing every detail of the scene.
- It was great to sit back and absorb the atmosphere.
- The information is presented so that it can be readily absorbed.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- easily
- readily
- fully
- …
- absorb somebody to interest somebody very much so that they pay no attention to anything else synonym engross
- This work had absorbed him for several years.
- His work absorbed him completely.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- totally
- utterly
- …
- [often passive] to make something smaller become part of something larger
- absorb something The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.
- be absorbed into something The surrounding small towns have been absorbed into the city.
- These committees were gradually absorbed into the local government machine.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gradually
- be absorbed into something
- absorb something to use up a large supply of something, especially money or time
- The new proposals would absorb $80 billion of the federal budget.
- My work absorbs a great deal of my time.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gradually
- be absorbed into something
- absorb something to deal with changes, effects, costs, etc.
- The company is unable to absorb such huge losses.
liquid/gas
heat/light/energy/sound
shock/impact
information
interest somebody
make part of something larger
money/time/changes
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin absorbere, from ab- ‘from’ + sorbere ‘suck in’.