absorb

[ab·sorb]

To absorb is to take in or suck up like a sponge. If you don't hear your mother calling because you are reading, you could say you were absorbed in the book.

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To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include.

Verb
cause to become one with; "The sales tax is absorbed into the state income tax"

Verb
engage or engross wholly; "Her interest in butterflies absorbs her completely"

Verb
engross (oneself) fully; "He immersed himself into his studies"

Verb
take up mentally; "he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe"

Verb
assimilate or take in; "The immigrants were quickly absorbed into society"

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Verb
take in, also metaphorically; "The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister''s words"

Verb
become imbued; "The liquids, light, and gases absorb"

Verb
take up, as of debts or payments; "absorb the costs for something"

Verb
suck or take up or in; "A black star absorbs all matter"


v. t.
To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include.

v. t.
To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body.

v. t.
To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth.

v. t.
To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass.


Absorb

Ab*sorb" , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absorbed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Absorbing.] [L. absorbere; ab + sorbere to suck in, akin to Gr. : cf. F. absorber.] 1. To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include. "Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all." Cowper.
The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion.
2. To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body. Bacon. 3. To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth. 4. To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass. Nichol. p. 8 Syn. -- To Absorb, Engross, Swallow up, Engulf. These words agree in one general idea, that of completely taking up. They are chiefly used in a figurative sense and may be distinguished by a reference to their etymology. We speak of a person as absorbed (lit., drawn in, swallowed up) in study or some other employment of the highest interest. We speak of a person as ebgrossed (lit., seized upon in the gross, or wholly) by something which occupies his whole time and thoughts, as the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment of honor. We speak of a person (under a stronger image) as swallowed up and lost in that which completely occupies his thoughts and feelings, as in grief at the death of a friend, or in the multiplied cares of life. We speak of a person as engulfed in that which (like a gulf) takes in all his hopes and interests; as, engulfed in misery, ruin, etc.
That grave question which had begun to absorb the Christian mind -- the marriage of the clergy.
Too long hath love engrossed Britannia's stage, And sunk to softness all our tragic rage.
Should not the sad occasion swallow up My other cares?
And in destruction's river Engulf and swallow those.

To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include.

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Usage Examples

We should so provide for old age that it may have no urgent wants of this world to absorb it from meditation on the next. It is awful to see the lean hands of dotage making a coffer of the grave.

It's amazing how much you can absorb on a film set.

Heroes to me are guys that sit in libraries. They absorb knowledge and then the risks they take are calculated on the basis of the courage it took to become replete with knowledge.

There is a subconscious way of taking violence as a way of expression, as a normality, and it has a lot of effects in the youth in the way they absorb education and what they hope to get out of life.

It is from the traditional family that we absorb those universal ideals and principles which are the teaching of Jesus, the bedrock of our religious faith. We are taught the difference between right and wrong, and about the law, just punishment and discipline.

It is a scientific fact that your body will not absorb cholesterol if you take it from another person's plate.

To love someone is to isolate him from the world, wipe out every trace of him, dispossess him of his shadow, drag him into a murderous future. It is to circle around the other like a dead star and absorb him into a black light.

Misspelled Form

absorb, qabsorb, wabsorb, sabsorb, zabsorb, qbsorb, wbsorb, sbsorb, zbsorb, aqbsorb, awbsorb, asbsorb, azbsorb, avbsorb, agbsorb, ahbsorb, anbsorb, a bsorb, avsorb, agsorb, ahsorb, ansorb, a sorb, abvsorb, abgsorb, abhsorb, abnsorb, ab sorb, abasorb, abwsorb, abesorb, abdsorb, abxsorb, abzsorb, abaorb, abworb, abeorb, abdorb, abxorb, abzorb, absaorb, absworb, abseorb, absdorb, absxorb, abszorb, absiorb, abs9orb, abs0orb, absporb, abslorb, absirb, abs9rb, abs0rb, absprb, abslrb, absoirb, abso9rb, abso0rb, absoprb, absolrb, absoerb, abso4rb, abso5rb, absotrb, absofrb, absoeb, abso4b, abso5b, absotb, absofb, absoreb, absor4b, absor5b, absortb, absorfb, absorvb, absorgb, absorhb, absornb, absor b, absorv, absorg, absorh, absorn, absor , absorbv, absorbg, absorbh, absorbn, absorb .

Other Usage Examples

We can do things the cheap way, the simple way, for the short-term and without regard for the future. Or, we can make the extra effort, do the hard work, absorb the criticism and make decisions that will cause a better future.

His claim to his home is deep, but there are too many ghosts. He must absorb without being absorbed.

You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see.

We're going to need to absorb some pain. The Republicans want to pile all the pain on people who can least afford it and the middle class and Democrats under his leadership want to make sure that we can address deficit reduction and continue to make investments and shared sacrifice is going to be imperative in order to be able to do that.

I can't sit down long enough to absorb any kind of learning.

Movies absorb our attention more completely, I think.

The product of the artist has become less important than the fact of the artist. We wish to absorb this person. We wish to devour someone who has experienced the tragic. In our society this person is much more important than anything he might create.

When you are studying jazz, the best thing to do is listen to records or listen to live music. It isn't as though you go to a teacher. You just listen as much as you can and absorb everything.

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