absorb
verb
Simple meaning
To include so that it no longer has separate existence.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbzawrbSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əbˈzɔɹb
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to take in and use up.
“The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society.”
Suck or take up or in
“A black star absorbs all matter.”
Consume all of one's attention or time
“Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely.”
Take up mentally
“He absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe.”
transitive
To occupy or consume time.
transitive
To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to take in and use up.
'Absorb' means to take something in, whether literally (like a sponge taking in water) or figuratively (like a person taking in information). It implies drawing something into itself, making it part of the whole.
“The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Science class
“Plants absorb sunlight to create energy for growth.”
Everyday conversation
“I was so absorbed in the book, I didn't hear the phone.”
Business/Economics
“The larger company decided to absorb its smaller competitor.”
Nearby words
- sop up , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Consume / occupyverb
“Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely.”
Includeverb
“The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society.”
Suckverb
“A black star absorbs all matter.”
Takeverb
“He absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe.”
More ways to use absorb
- “The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society.”verb
- “He absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe.”verb
- “Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Take up mentally.
Take in, also metaphorically.
To overwhelm, overpower.
To take or use.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Material in a nuclear reactor that absorbs radiation.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A measure of the extent to which a substance transmits light or other electromagnetic radiation.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A mechanical damper.
Occurring with absorption of energy.
Occurring or formed with absorption of heat.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A material having capacity or tendency to absorb another substance.
A material having capacity or tendency to absorb another substance.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.