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absorb

[ab-sawrb, -zawrb]

Example Sentences Origin

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.

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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.

COLLAPSE

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

Related forms

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)

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pre·ab·sorb, verb

re·ab·sorb, verb (used with object)

un·ab·sorb·a·ble, adjective

COLLAPSE

Can be confused: absorb, adsorb.

Synonyms
2. assimilate, consume, devour, engulf; destroy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To absorb

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Absorb is always a great word to know.

So is abusive. Does it mean:

treating badly or injuriously

sudden or unexpected, usually unwelcome

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

It occurs when the body can't properly absorb the vitamin from the intestinal tract.

Depending on the project, colleges may have to absorb the costs when pledges don't come through as expected.

It would be better, of course, if chlorophyll could absorb light across the whole of the visible spectrum.

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It occurs when the body can't properly absorb the vitamin from the intestinal tract.

Depending on the project, colleges may have to absorb the costs when pledges don't come through as expected.

It would be better, of course, if chlorophyll could absorb light across the whole of the visible spectrum.

South-facing windows and a cement floor absorb and retain solar energy for home heating.

The polymers can also absorb seven times as much heat as the ceramics.

Place them on a paper towel to absorb excess grease.

Absorb the park's immense beauty by spending a night beneath the stars.

Genetically engineering plants to absorb more greenhouse gases.

The leather palm contains a foamlike material to absorb shock.

Still, many presenters say their strategies reflect a need to quickly absorb cuts, sometimes in the middle of the academic year.

And a central bank's ability to absorb losses is not infinite.

Because darker colors absorb more heat than light ones.

The horizon would absorb light originating from behind a black hole, creating a shadow visible at high enough resolution.

Place the finished breads on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Soak the crown in water for a day or two to absorb moisture.

Chlorophylls b and c are found in fewer organisms and absorb light in a similar range as chlorophyll a does, but shifted a bit.

Under the legislation, home care would absorb a disproportionate share of the cuts.

They absorb their politics through blogs and social networks, he says.

Consumers are now having to absorb a flurry of punches.

Leather balls absorb moisture eight times faster than the synthetic ones.

The new technology uses tiny nanoparticles to absorb free fatty acids from living microalgae.

The control rods absorb neutrons before they can reach the uranium.

If the temperature is too low, doughnuts will absorb more oil and taste soggy and oily.

The control rods absorb neutrons to prevent the reaction with uranium that causes fission.

Nor do the students absorb the belief that they really should put that more time into their studies.

Across the world, forests and the soil beneath them absorb about a quarter of all carbon emissions.

They continue to absorb roughly a million tons every hour.

There is a new sponge that researchers hope could absorb greenhouse gases from power plants one day.

Lichens also absorb polonium directly from the atmosphere.

These tiny granules absorb water that would otherwise drain away.

But even without a circulation slowdown, warm waters will absorb less oxygen, and the effects could be catastrophic.

There are some students who will not absorb these not-so-subtle cues.

When light shines on these bubbles, the electrons inside them absorb energy, forming bigger bubbles.

In contrast, lighter-colored aerosols don't absorb solar energy the way darker particles do.

Replanting the great mangrove forest would absorb much of the world's excess carbon dioxide.

He has discovered that he can absorb attack after attack and still be standing.

We hold our breath and try to absorb each moment in the cool early-morning air.

Mathematicians exploring how these surfaces show up in nature stumbled on an explanation for why skin can absorb so much water.

It was that they were unable to absorb the information at all, even after the initial shock.

America has lost none of its capacity to absorb newcomers.

To maintain a high body temperature and high metabolism, mammals need an efficient way to digest and absorb nutrients from food.

The result: the active materials in the panels absorb more light, and convert more of it into electricity.

Good combination of story and fact in easy sound bytes for the kids to absorb.

Plunk down into a big, soft chair or sofa to absorb the music and the decorations.

Hamilton watched the loop a dozen times, trying to absorb what he was seeing.

At the moment, the world's oceans absorb a million tonnes of carbon dioxide an hour.

Healthy peatlands absorb carbon dioxide as new vegetation grows, serving as a carbon sink.

No one would ever think that plants could absorb information around them.

Most liquid types can also be sprayed on rose leaves, which absorb some nutrients immediately.

It is designed to absorb the force of an explosion, preventing or minimizing damage to the aircraft.

Big firms with dedicated legal departments can absorb the costs of regulation more easily than tiny ones.

When oceans absorb carbon dioxide from air, the gas reacts with water to produce carbonic acid.

The organic nitrogen has to be broken down into ammonia or oxidized to nitrate before plants can absorb it.

Maybe you should mix in some actuated charcoal to absorb a tiny bit of the smell.

Readers usually absorb a story, discuss it with their friends, and then forget it.

After all, capital markets there are neither deep nor liquid enough to absorb them.

Peatlands also absorb water during heavy rainfall and release it slowly to rivers, playing a role in flood control," he said.

Albumen-a gelatinlike substance with high water content-gives the egg its ability to absorb shock.

These carbon particles in the patented carbon cleaning pad are what absorb the fingerprint oil on your iDevice.

These have been stuffed into the banking system, which may be reaching the limits of its ability to absorb such infusions.

The stock should be added slowly to let the rice absorb it little by little.

Big orbs absorb smaller ones and grow bigger in the process.

These cells absorb photons in light and transfer their energy to electrons, which form an electrical circuit.

The cells line an area of human lungs that helps our bodies absorb oxygen and shed carbon dioxide.

But with little structure to absorb the energy, these accidents can result in serious injury or worse.

It will take several years for the economy fully to absorb the overhang from these imbalances.

Its sodium coolant has a high boiling point-today's reactors use water-and would absorb excess heat.

Unable to absorb all that fluid, they burst, adding more blood to the already toxic mix festering under his skin.

These will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then conveniently sink when they die.

First she soaked the seeds in hot water to make them once again able to absorb liquids.

Specialized cells in the capsules are filled with a cellulose layer that can absorb large amounts of water.

Most states' execution rules do not take account of the way people of different sizes absorb anaesthetic.

In order to absorb water they cannot always be saturated.

Thayer added a forehead pad and chin rest to his design of the catcher's mask to help absorb the impact of the ball.

Adiponectin, meanwhile, encourages the body's adipose tissue to absorb lipids.

Trichromacy depends on three types of photoreceptor cells in the eye, which absorb light at different wavelengths.

The sea would surely absorb the force of a flapping fin, to say nothing of a phytoplankton's flagellae.

So the private sector will have to absorb not only that year's financing programme but the surplus offloaded by the central bank.

It says the colored panels don't need to face the sun and can absorb dispersed light.

But the clean-up cannot absorb all the harm done to the economy.

When snow melts quickly, the ground may not have time to absorb the water.

Drain wings, and then transfer them to a paper towel-lined pan to absorb any extra oil.

The islands, separated from the mainland by an estuary, absorb the brunt of coastal storms.

Other methods can waste water by letting it absorb into the ground where there are no plants.

The nanowire mesh would absorb the slick more quickly and efficiently, and thus require fewer vessels.

Warm waters absorb less oxygen--which is bad news for the sea life that needs it.

Weekly, even daily, it is their chore and the community's to absorb yet another.

Removing trees and other plant cover, along with farming, can worsen runoff by decreasing the ability of soil to absorb water.

Photosynthetic organisms on land and in the ocean absorb about five of those.

Plants absorb the water, and animals are eithing drinking the water or eating plants that have absorbed the chemicals.

Conventional cotton towels seem to push around more water than they absorb.

Many students also never absorb the importance of writing outlines.

Known as fluorescent protein, the molecules absorb light of one color and emit light of a different color.

Demand for expensive flat-screen televisions has failed to grow quickly enough to absorb increased output.

The walls, which absorb solar heat by day and release it at night, allow her to push.

Some fruits and vegetables grown with conventional farming methods simply don't absorb the pesticides.

Thomas and other football players absorb during years of competing.

As long as the water is clear enough not to absorb the rays, exposing it to.

Sulfur dioxide combines with water vapor to form sulfuric acid particles that scatter, reflect, and absorb sunlight.

Researchers discover evidence for a new type of chlorophyll in cyanobacteria that can absorb near-infrared light.

Drinking water can absorb lead from pipes and joints, and food can be tainted if packaged in cans that use lead solder.

Some, such as copper sulphide, absorb microwaves well and heat up fast when exposed to them.

And because trees absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the deforestation could encourage global warming.

Machines could absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, slowing or even reversing its rise and reducing global warming.

How do the flowers get water when the gems absorb water rather than release.

The gardens absorb storm water runoff and prevent it.

The system is leaving it to the universities to decide how to absorb the cuts.

In the same way that human bones absorb and store calcium from food, trees take up the element strontium.

Machines could absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, slowing or even.

Lisa completely understands how to phrase things so that you can completely absorb the information using all of your senses.

Forests tend to be darker than farms and pastures and therefore tend to absorb more sunlight.

There is something to be said both for social maturity and having had many years to absorb all sorts of life.

Investors, customers, employees and fans have barely begun to absorb the consequences.

Coral has a critical partnership with certain algae that absorb sunlight and convert it to.

If they're dry, they'll absorb moisture too slowly from the soil and the roots may be slow to break through them, resulting in.

The whole system is designed to absorb water quickly and release it slowly.

Of course, students don't absorb policies until it's too late, anyway.

On top of this requirement is the extra capital that banks would need to absorb losses from a recession or the debt crisis.

Harmine can help humans absorb hallucinogens and may be a powerful antidepressant.

Clay has properties that allow it to absorb materials.

Booms, or floating sponges that absorb the slick and block.

Milk and dairy products such as yogurt, cheeses, and buttermilk contain a form of calcium that your body can absorb easily.

Fortunately, you will absorb much of the terminology by osmosis.

The organisms also absorb nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to acid rain.

Sharply reduce immigration until the nation has been able to absorb recent immigrants.

Natural fibber parts, if mixed with appropriate fluids, could absorb weather-resistant factors.

Most photovoltaics today can only absorb a single, narrow band of light at a time.

If the company's earnings are insufficient for all dividends, the preferred stock will absorb the total amount of earnings.

Bags that wind up at sea can absorb toxic chemicals, making them even more harmful to the wildlife around them.

Their offerings are relatively inexpensive and easier to absorb than those of enterprise software companies.

As a result, it cannot absorb many college graduates.

Instead she offers characters that absorb and fascinate.

Humans or animals often absorb them when they eat fish.

Sunless tans are not exactly the same color as natural tans and do not absorb ultraviolet light in the range that causes sunburn.

If all goes according to plan, oceanic plankton will thrive on the nitrogen-rich urea broth and absorb carbon dioxide.

The cover is made of composite layers that absorb radio waves for lightweight stealth.

When the water molecules absorb heat energy, they disperse and transfer their excess energy to the surrounding air.

Let sit for one minute so the oatmeal will absorb the milk.

Fish will not absorb much of the oil in which it is fried if the oil is properly heated.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

absorb (əbˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb)

—vb
1.	to soak or suck up (liquids)
2.	to engage or occupy (the interest, attention, or time) of (someone); engross
3.	to receive or take in (the energy of an impact)
4.	physics to take in (all or part of incident radiated energy) and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted
5.	to take in or assimilate; incorporate
6.	to accept and find a market for (goods, etc)
7.	to pay for as part of a commercial transaction: the distributor absorbed the cost of transport
8.	chem Compare adsorb 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

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

absorba'bility

—n

ab'sorbable

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

absorb

late 15c., from M.Fr. absorber (O.Fr. assorbir), from L. absorbere "to swallow up," from ab- "from" + sorbere "suck in," from PIE base *srebh- "to suck, absorb" (cf. Armenian arbi "I drank," Gk. rhopheo "to sup greedily up, gulp down," Lith. srebiu "to drink greedily"). Figurative meaning "to completely

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grip (one's) attention" is from 1753.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

absorb ab·sorb (əb-sôrb', -zôrb')
v. ab·sorbed, ab·sorb·ing, ab·sorbs

To take in by absorption.
To reduce the intensity of transmitted light.

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