absorb

[ ab-sawrb, -zawrb ]

/ æbˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR absorb ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up: A sponge absorbs water.

to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate: The empire absorbed many small nations.

to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly: so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.

to occupy or fill: This job absorbs all of my time.

to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action: Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.

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

to take in and utilize: The market absorbed all the computers we could build. Can your brain absorb all this information?

to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.): The company will absorb all the research costs.

Archaic. to swallow up.

Origin of absorb

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

SYNONYMS FOR absorb

2 assimilate, consume, devour, engulf; destroy.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR absorb ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM absorb

ab·sorb·a·ble, adjective ab·sorb·a·bil·i·ty, noun non·ab·sorb·a·bil·i·ty, noun non·ab·sorb·a·ble, adjective

o·ver·ab·sorb, verb (used with object) pre·ab·sorb, verb re·ab·sorb, verb (used with object) un·ab·sorb·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH absorb

absorb adsorb

Words nearby absorb

absolutive, absolutize, absolutory, absolve, absonant, absorb, absorbable gelatin film, absorbable suture, absorbance, absorbed, absorbed dose

Example sentences from the Web for absorbable

Their action is very similar to the action of giant cells in the soft tissues about absorbable foreign bodies.

Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry |Maximilian Stern
Mineral oils (refined paraffine) also are not absorbable, and they act with benefit in some cases.

Diet and Health |Lulu Hunt Peters

British Dictionary definitions for absorbable

absorb

/ (əbˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb) /

verb (tr)

to soak or suck up (liquids)

to engage or occupy (the interest, attention, or time) of (someone); engross

to receive or take in (the energy of an impact)

physics to take in (all or part of incident radiated energy) and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted

to take in or assimilate; incorporate

to accept and find a market for (goods, etc)

to pay for as part of a commercial transaction the distributor absorbed the cost of transport

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

Derived forms of absorb

absorbability, noun absorbable, adjective

Word Origin for absorb

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

Medical definitions for absorbable

absorb

[ əb-zôrb′ ]

v.

To take in by absorption.

To reduce the intensity of transmitted light.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

absorb

verb (used with object)

Origin of absorb

SYNONYMS FOR absorb

OTHER WORDS FROM absorb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH absorb

Words nearby absorb

Example sentences from the Web for absorbable

British Dictionary definitions for absorbable

verb (tr)

Derived forms of absorb

Word Origin for absorb

Medical definitions for absorbable

v.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

absorb

verb (used with object)

Origin of absorb

SYNONYMS FOR absorb

OTHER WORDS FROM absorb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH absorb

Words nearby absorb

Words related to absorbable

Example sentences from the Web for absorbable

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for absorbable

verb (tr)

Derived forms of absorb

Word Origin for absorb

Medical definitions for absorbable

v.

British Dictionary definitions for absorbable