Meaning & use

absorb

verb·Everyday

To take in or soak up a substance, or to take in information, ideas, or impressions gradually.

See it in a sentence

The dry soil quickly absorbed the light rain that fell overnight.

It took her weeks to absorb everything she had learned during the training.

A note on using this word

Absorb is also used to mean 'completely occupy someone's attention', as in 'absorbed in a book'.

Words with a similar meaning

soak upassimilate

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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