Meaning & use
absorption
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
The process by which a substance, liquid, gas, or energy is taken in by another material, body, or system.
Grammar: Usually uncountable; scientists may count particular types, but learners normally use no article.
Patterns
- absorption of something
- absorption into something
The roots speed up the absorption of water after rain.
Dark surfaces improve the absorption of heat from sunlight.
noununcountablefigurative
The state of giving all your attention to something and noticing little else around you.
Grammar: Takes in, not on: absorption in a task.
Patterns
- absorption in something
- with absorption
Her absorption in the novel made her miss the station.
He painted with complete absorption for hours.
Common combinations
- absorption of water
- Good soil allows steady absorption of water.
- absorption of light
- The dye increases absorption of light in the fabric.
- absorption into the bloodstream
- The medicine speeds absorption into the bloodstream.
- complete absorption in something
- Complete absorption in work can crowd out rest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uptake
- More technical and often used for cells, plants, or systems taking in nutrients, water, or signals.
- soaking up
- Informal physical equivalent, but not used for careful mental concentration.
- concentration
- Weaker and more general; absorption suggests deeper, almost total attention.
- immersion
- Suggests being surrounded by or deeply involved in an activity, not a chemical or bodily process.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: absorption or adsorption?
absorption vs adsorption
Adsorption is surface-only sticking of molecules; absorption means being taken into the whole material or body.
Practice
Choose the best completion: The leaves increase their absorption ___ sunlight on clear days.
Choose one answer.
The pattern is absorption of something; absorption into would need a destination such as the bloodstream, and from/on do not fit the noun pattern here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “absorption”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.