Definitions of absorb [æbˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb]

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Definition of 'absorb'

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

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

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

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

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

5.  absorb
to assimilate by chemical or molecular action.

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

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

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

9.  absorb
Archaic. to swallow up.

Etymology: (1480–90; < L absorbēre=ab-ab - +sorbēre to suck in, swallow)

Definition of 'absorb'

Princeton's WordNet

1. (verb) absorb
become imbued
"The liquids, light, and gases absorb"

2. (verb) absorb, assimilate, ingest, take in
take up mentally
"he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe"

3. (verb) absorb, take over
take up, as of debts or payments
"absorb the costs for something"

4. (verb) absorb, suck, imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck up, draw, take in, take up
take in, also metaphorically
"The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister's words"

5. (verb) absorb
cause to become one with
"The sales tax is absorbed into the state income tax"

6. (verb) absorb, take in
suck or take up or in
"A black star absorbs all matter"

7. (verb) steep, immerse, engulf, plunge, engross, absorb, soak up
devote (oneself) fully to
"He immersed himself into his studies"

8. (verb) absorb
assimilate or take in
"The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society"

9. (verb) absorb, engross, engage, occupy
consume all of one's attention or time
"Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely"

Definition of 'absorb'

Kernerman English Learner’s Dictionary

1. (verb) absorb
to take in a liquid
a material which absorbs water

2. absorb
to understand and remember
to absorb large amounts of information

3. absorb
absorbed in
giving all your attention to
completely absorbed in his book

Definition of 'absorb'

Webster Dictionary

1. (verb) absorb
to swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include

2. (verb) absorb
to suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body

3. (verb) absorb
to engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth

4. (verb) absorb
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

Translation of 'absorb'

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

Sense: to soak up The cloth absorbed the ink I had spilled.
Afrikaans: absorbeer	Arabic: يَمْتَصْ، يَتَشَرب	Bulgarian: поглъщам
Brazilian: absorver	Czech: vsát	German: aufsaugen
Danish: opsuge; absorbere; optage	Greek: απορροφώ	Spanish: absorber
Estonian: imama	Farsi: جذب کردن	Finnish: imeä
French: absorber	Hebrew: לִסְפּוֹג	Hindi: सोखना
Croatian: upiti	Hungarian: felszív	Indonesian: menyerap
Icelandic: drekkaí sig	Italian: assorbire	Japanese: 吸収する
Korean: 흡수하다	Lithuanian: sugerti	Latvian: absorbēt; uzsūkt
Malay: menyerap	Dutch: absorberen	Norwegian: suge opp, absorbere
Polish: wchłaniać	Persian: جذب کردن	Pashto: جذب كول
Portuguese: absorver	Romanian: a absorbi	Russian: впитывать
Slovak: vsať, vpiť	Slovenian: vpiti	Serbian: upijati
Swedish: absorbera, suga upp	Thai: ดูดซึม	Turkish: emmek
Taiwanese: 吸收	Ukrainian: вбирати; абсорбувати	Urdu: جذب کرنا
Vietnamese: thấm	Chinese: 吸收
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