absorb
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
absorb
- /əbˈzɔːb/ UK
- /əbˈsɔːb/ UK
- /æbˈsɔɹb/ US
- /æbˈzɔɹb/ US
- /əbˈsɔɹb/ US
- /əbˈzɔɹb/ US
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)b
Where it comes from
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.
verb absorbs · absorbing · absorbed · absorpt
-
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.
Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all.
Similar: assimilate, engulf, incorporate, swallow up, overwhelm
- To engulf, as in water; to swallow up. to be absorpt, or swallowed up, in a lake of fire and brimstone.
-
To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe, like a sponge or as the lacteals of the body; to chemically take in.
Similar: draw, drink in, imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck, suck up, steep, take in, take up
- To be absorbed, or sucked in; to sink in. The drops of water slowly absorbed into the dry sponge.
- To take in energy and convert it. Heat, light, and electricity are absorbed in the substances into which they pass.
- in receiving a physical impact or vibration without recoil.
- in receiving sound energy without repercussion or echo.
- taking in radiant energy and converting it to a different form of energy, like heat.
-
To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully.
Geeka was cooking dinner. As the little girl played she prattled continuously to her companion, propped in a sitting position with a couple of twigs. She was totally absorbed in the domestic duties of Geeka – so much so that she did not note the gentle swaying of the branches of the tree above her a
Similar: engage, engross, immerse, monopolize, occupy
-
To occupy or consume time.
Similar: use up
- To assimilate mentally. If we fail to absorb the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them.
-
To assume or pay for as part of a commercial transaction.
Among the most debatable is the contention that the profit margins of small employers are insufficient to absorb the costs of health insurance
Similar: assume
-
To defray the costs.
I’ll absorb the charge for the window replacement.
Similar: eat
- To accept or purchase in quantity.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: suck up, sop up, soak up, ingest, suck, engulf, immerse, plunge, imbibe, steep, assimilate, take up, draw, engage, occupy, take over
Translations
Every language
verb (physics, chemistry) to take up by chemical or physical action
| Español | absorber |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 吸入 xīrù |
| Português | absorver |
| Deutsch | absorbieren |
| Italiano | assorbire |
| Русский | поглоща́ть pogloščátʹ, поглоти́ть poglotítʹ, вбира́ть vbirátʹ, вобра́ть vobrátʹ, впи́тывать vpítyvatʹ, впита́ть vpitátʹ |
| العربية | اِتَّخَذَ ittaḵaḏa |
verb to include so that it no longer has separate existence
| Español | absorber |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 吸収する kyūshū suru |
| 中文 | 吸收 xīshōu |
| हिन्दी | सोखना sokhnā |
| Português | absorver |
| Français | absorber |
| Deutsch | absorbieren, (in sich) aufnehmen |
| Italiano | assorbire, incorporare, includere |
| Română | absorbi |
| Русский | поглоща́ть pogloščátʹ, поглоти́ть poglotítʹ, вбира́ть vbirátʹ, вобра́ть vobrátʹ |
| العربية | اِتَّسَعَ ittasaʕa, اِحْتَوَى iḥtawā |
| עברית | ספג safág |
verb to suck up or drink in
| Español | absorber |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 吸う suu |
| 中文 | 吸入 xīrù |
| हिन्दी | सोखना sokhnā |
| Kiswahili | kufyonza |
| Português | absorver |
| Français | absorber, éponger |
| Deutsch | aufsaugen |
| Italiano | assorbire, assorbere |
| Ελληνικά | απορροφώ aporrofó |
| Русский | поглоща́ть pogloščátʹ, поглоти́ть poglotítʹ, вбира́ть vbirátʹ, вобра́ть vobrátʹ, впи́тывать vpítyvatʹ, впита́ть vpitátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | hút |
| العربية | اِمْتَصَ imtaṣa, تَشَرَّبَ tašarraba |
| עברית | ספג safág |
verb to occupy fully
| Español | absorber |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 吸収する kyūshū suru |
| 中文 | 全神貫注 /全神贯注 quánshénguànzhù |
| Português | absorver |
| Français | absorber |
| Deutsch | (ganz) in Anspruch nehmen, fesseln |
| Ελληνικά | απορροφώ aporrofó |
| Русский | поглоща́ть pogloščátʹ, поглоти́ть poglotítʹ |
| العربية | اِحْتَلَّ iḥtalla, شَغَلَ šaḡala, اِسْتَغْرَقَ istaḡraqa |
| עברית | שקע shaká |
verb to consume completely
| Español | absorber |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 処理する shori suru |
| 中文 | 完全吸收 wánquán xīshōu |
| Português | absorver |
| Deutsch | konsumieren, aufbrauchen |
| Italiano | assorbire |
| Русский | поглоща́ть pogloščátʹ, поглоти́ть poglotítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | hấp thu, hấp thụ |
| العربية | اِسْتَنْفَدَ istanfada |
verb to assimilate mentally
| 日本語 | 吸収する kyūshū suru |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 吸收 xīshōu |
| Português | absorver |
| Français | absorber |
| Deutsch | aufnehmen |
| Ελληνικά | αφομοιώνω afomoióno |
| Русский | поглоща́ть pogloščátʹ, поглоти́ть poglotítʹ, вбира́ть vbirátʹ, вобра́ть vobrátʹ, впи́тывать vpítyvatʹ, впита́ть vpitátʹ |
| العربية | اِسْتَوْعَبَ istawʕaba, وَعَى waʕā |
Talk about this word "absorb." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/absorb. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. absorb. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/absorb "absorb." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/absorb.Cite this
@misc{absorb_2026,
title = {absorb},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/absorb},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
