# absorb

Pronunciation: US say "ab-SORB" /æbˈsɔɹb/; UK say "uhb-ZAWB" /əbˈzɔːb/

## Verb

1. To soak up or take in a liquid or gas, as a sponge does or as body tissues draw in nutrients.
   - Simple: To soak up a liquid or gas, the way a sponge takes in water.
   - _The bandage is designed to absorb fluid from the wound._
   - _The small intestine absorbs nutrients from digested food._
2. To take in and understand information or ideas so thoroughly that they become part of your knowledge.
   - Simple: To take in and understand new facts or ideas.
   - _Young children absorb the rules of their first language without formal teaching._
   - _He absorbed every detail of the briefing before the meeting._
3. To engage someone's attention or interest so completely that nothing else is noticed.
   - Simple: To hold someone's full attention so they notice nothing else.
   - _The intricate puzzle absorbed the whole team for an afternoon._
   - _A demanding project can absorb a researcher entirely._
4. To take something in so completely that it loses its separate existence and becomes part of a larger whole.
   - Simple: To take something in completely so it becomes part of a larger whole.
   - _Over the centuries the empire absorbed dozens of neighboring kingdoms._
   - _Successful firms absorb their competitors and rebrand the products._
5. To take in energy and convert it into a different form.
   - Simple: To take in energy, like light or heat, and change it into another form.
   - _Chlorophyll molecules absorb light energy during photosynthesis._
   - _These materials absorb radiation across a wide range of wavelengths._
6. To take in the energy of a physical impact or vibration without bouncing it back.
   - Simple: To take in the force of a hit or shock so it is not passed on.
   - _Modern crumple zones absorb the force of a collision._
   - _Thick rubber mats absorb the vibrations from the machinery._
7. To take in radiant energy and convert it into a different form of energy, such as heat.
   - Simple: To take in radiant energy, like sunlight, and change it into heat.
   - _Greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation rising from the earth's surface._
   - _A matte black coating absorbs incoming light and reradiates it as heat._
8. To take in sound energy so that it does not echo or bounce back.
   - Simple: To take in sound so it does not echo or bounce back.
   - _Acoustic foam panels absorb echoes in the recording studio._
   - _Soft furnishings absorb sound that would otherwise reverberate._
9. To take up or use up a large amount of time.
   - Simple: To take up a lot of someone's time.
   - _Long commutes absorb hours that workers could spend with family._
   - _Endless email absorbed her whole afternoon._
10. To take on or pay for a cost as part of a commercial transaction.
   - Simple: To take on and pay a cost as part of a business deal.
   - _The company chose to absorb the extra tariffs rather than raise prices._
   - _Retailers absorb the cost of returns to stay competitive._
11. To pay for or cover a cost, especially so that others do not have to bear it.
   - Simple: To pay for a cost so someone else does not have to.
   - _The university agreed to absorb the travel costs for visiting scholars._
   - _Several donors absorbed the shortfall after the fundraiser fell short._
12. To accept or buy something in large quantities.
   - Simple: To buy or take in large amounts of something.
   - _Investors absorbed the entire bond offering within hours._
   - _The warehouse can absorb a large surplus when prices drop._
13. To soak in or sink into a surface until no longer visible.
   - Simple: To soak into something and disappear below the surface.
   - _The spilled oil slowly absorbed into the porous stone._
   - _Most of the rain will absorb into the dry field by morning._

## Verb

14. To engulf or swallow something up, as water swallows whatever falls into it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To swallow something up completely, as a flood covers the land.

## Origin

Absorb comes from Middle French absorber, from Old French assorbir, and ultimately from Latin absorbeō ("swallow up"), formed from ab- ("from") plus sorbeō ("suck in, swallow"), which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *srebʰ- ("to sip").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/absorb (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).