Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To take (something) in through or as through pores or interstices.
- transitive verb To occupy the attention, interest, or time of; engross: synonym: engross.
- transitive verb To take up or occupy (one's time or interest, for example).
- transitive verb To retain (radiation or sound, for example) wholly, without reflection or transmission.
- transitive verb To take in; assimilate.
- transitive verb To learn; acquire.
- transitive verb To receive (an impulse) without echo or recoil.
- transitive verb To assume or pay for (a cost or costs).
- transitive verb To endure; accommodate.
- transitive verb To use up; consume.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To drink in; suck up; imbibe, as a sponge; take in by absorption, as the lacteals of the body; hence, to take up or receive in, as by chemical or molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases.
- To swallow up; engulf; overwhelm: as, the sea absorbed the wreck.
- To swallow up the identity or individuality of; draw in as a constituent part; incorporate: as, the empire absorbed all the small states.
- To engross or engage wholly.
- In medicine, to counteract or neutralize: as, magnesia absorbs acidity in the stomach.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include.
- transitive verb To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body.
- transitive verb To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully.
- transitive verb To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal
absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity areabsorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive, business To assume or pay for as part of a
commercial transaction . - verb transitive To
defray the costs. - verb transitive To accept or purchase in quantity.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb become imbued
- verb cause to become one with
- verb assimilate or take in
- verb take in, also metaphorically
- verb devote (oneself) fully to
- verb take up mentally
- verb take up, as of debts or payments
- verb consume all of one's attention or time
- verb suck or take up or in
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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I felt my skin absorb the energy from the light and I could feel the energy surge through me and spread.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Stefan’s Review Forum 2009
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I felt my skin absorb the energy from the light and I could feel the energy surge through me and spread.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Stefan’s Review Forum 2009
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Bamboo forests grow very fast and with a very little burden on environment because the quantity of CO2 that they can absorb is very high.
Global Voices in English » Japan: A brief review of the eco-technologies 2009
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Does my skin absorb enough ultraviolet rays to produce sufficient vitamin D?
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Give the songwriters more money, but make the publishing companies and the labels absorb the cost.
doggdot.us 2008
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However, if they contain an absorbing agent and if their connections are open at both ends and are not tapered, they will increase in weight at the same rate after that period has elapsed, that is to say, they absorb from the air water vapour and therefore become heavier.
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It is also necessary that the air should have access to the roots of plants, as they depend for their nourishment almost as much on the carbon and other elements which they absorb from the air, as on those which they obtain from the soil.
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Jane 1845
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And furthermore creepy, not creppy Hand, not had Meant, not ment Does, not doeis I'll skip the non use of any puntuation, I am sure your brain cant absorb any more ....
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More than two weeks before a McCain ad compared Mr. Obama’s celebrity quotient to that of the two blondes, Mr. Obama had them on his mind as he talked about parenting and how he and his wife watch what their daughters, Malia, 10 and Sasha, 7, absorb from the culture all around them.
Obama Talks About His Girls - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008
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More than two weeks before a McCain ad compared Mr. Obama’s celebrity quotient to that of the two blondes, Mr. Obama had them on his mind as he talked about parenting and how he and his wife watch what their daughters, Malia, 10 and Sasha, 7, absorb from the culture all around them.
Obama Talks About His Girls - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008
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