absorb

CEFRC1

/əbˈzɔːb/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To take in liquid, energy, or information.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To engulf, as in water; to swallow up.

Examples

  • Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

  • These pajamas absorb sweat well.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /əbˈsɔːb/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe, like a sponge or as the lacteals of the body; to chemically take in.

  2. 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.

  3. To be absorbed, or sucked in; to sink in.

More examples

In context

  • This paper does not absorb ink.

  • Heat, light, and electricity are absorbed in the substances into which they pass.

  • If we fail to absorb the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The sponge will quickly blank the spilled water from the table.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle French absorber, from Old French assorbir, from Latin absorbeō (“swallow up”), from ab- (“from”) + sorbeō (“suck in, swallow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- (“to sip”). Compare French absorber.