absorb

absorb — verb

1. When a material absorbs water, air, sound, heat, or light, it draws that substan

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

When a material absorbs water, air, sound, heat, or light, it draws that substance into itself and holds it inside, often happening slowly over time.

Example

Dry sponges absorb water faster than wet ones.

transitive: absorb + liquid noun

Plant roots absorb minerals from the wet soil around them.

subject: a natural body part or surface

Common collocations
  • absorb water
  • absorb moisture
  • absorb sunlight
  • absorb heat
  • absorb sound
  • absorb nutrients
Synonyms
  • soak up

    more informal; usually for liquids

  • take in

    broader and less technical

  • draw in

    emphasises the pulling movement

Antonyms
  • release

    to let the substance back out

  • repel

    specifically for water-resistant surfaces

Grammar Patterns

absorb + noun (liquid/gas/energy)

Usage Note

Subject is usually a porous material, surface, or living tissue; object is a substance or form of energy. Distinguish from sense 3 (UNDERSTAND), where the object is information rather than a physical substance.

Common Mistakes

The towel absorbs the water into it.
The towel absorbs the water.
'absorb' already includes the idea of taking something inside, so 'into it' is redundant.

2. If a material or structure absorbs a force, blow, or sudden change, it takes the

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

If a material or structure absorbs a force, blow, or sudden change, it takes the hit and softens its strength so that less of it is passed on to whatever is behind.

Example

Modern running shoes absorb most of the shock when your foot hits the ground.

absorb + shock/impact

The thick rubber mat absorbed Liam's fall from the climbing frame.

Common collocations
  • absorb the shock
  • absorb the impact
  • absorb the blow
  • absorb vibrations
Synonyms
  • cushion

    emphasises softening; often used for landings and falls

  • deaden

    more about killing the strength of a sound or blow

Antonyms
  • transmit

    to pass the force through to something else

Grammar Patterns

absorb + noun (force/shock/blow)

Usage Note

Object is usually a physical force word (shock, impact, blow, force, vibrations) rather than a substance. Distinguish from sense 1 — sense 1 takes things in and keeps them; sense 2 weakens an incoming force.

3. To take new information or ideas into your mind, fully understand them, and keep

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

To take new information or ideas into your mind, fully understand them, and keep them in your memory long after you first met them.

Example

Young children absorb new languages much more easily than adults do.

absorb + abstract noun (knowledge)

Sofia paused the video so she could absorb the teacher's explanation.

Common collocations
  • absorb information
  • absorb knowledge
  • absorb a lesson
  • absorb the news
Synonyms
  • take in

    more everyday; same meaning

  • grasp

    stresses understanding; less about memory

  • digest

    stresses time needed to fully process

Antonyms
  • forget

    to lose information from memory

Grammar Patterns

absorb + noun (information/lesson)

Usage Note

Object must be something mental — information, knowledge, ideas, lessons, news. The verb suggests not just hearing or reading something but making it part of what you know.

Common Mistakes

I absorbed in the book all night.
I was absorbed in the book all night.
for the 'pay full attention' meaning, use the passive 'be absorbed in' (sense 4), not active 'absorb'.

4. If an activity or piece of work absorbs you, it interests you so deeply that you

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

If an activity or piece of work absorbs you, it interests you so deeply that you give all your attention to it and stop noticing what else is happening.

Example

The mystery novel absorbed Hannah for the whole train journey to Kyoto.

active: thing + absorb + person

Nikolai was so absorbed in his video game that he didn't hear the doorbell.

passive: be absorbed in + activity

Common collocations
  • absorbed in a book
  • absorbed in thought
  • absorbed in work
  • completely absorbed
  • totally absorbed
Synonyms
  • engross

    more formal; same idea

  • captivate

    stresses charm and pleasure, not just focus

  • occupy

    weaker; just means filling your time

Antonyms
  • bore

    to make someone lose interest

Grammar Patterns

be absorbed in + noun

absorb + someone

Usage Note

Most often used as the passive 'be/become absorbed in [activity]' to describe the person. The active form ('the book absorbs me') is also common but slightly more literary.

Common Mistakes

She was absorbed by reading her book.
She was absorbed in reading her book.
use the preposition 'in' for the activity that holds your attention.

5. When a company or government absorbs a cost, loss, or new tax, it pays that amou

5.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

When a company or government absorbs a cost, loss, or new tax, it pays that amount itself instead of passing it on to customers or other people, often because it can afford to.

Example

The supermarket chain decided to absorb the higher fuel costs rather than raise prices.

absorb + cost/expense

Smaller airlines often cannot absorb sudden losses in ticket sales.

subject: a company/institution

Common collocations
  • absorb the cost
  • absorb the loss
  • absorb the expense
  • absorb a tax increase
Synonyms
  • bear

    more formal; same idea of carrying a cost

  • swallow

    informal; suggests reluctance

  • shoulder

    stresses taking responsibility for the burden

Antonyms
  • pass on

    to make customers pay the cost instead

Grammar Patterns

absorb + noun (cost/loss/tax)

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a business, institution, or government. Object is a financial burden (cost, loss, tax, fee, expense). The implication is that the payer chooses to carry the cost instead of moving it on.

6. When a larger group, organization, or country absorbs a smaller one, it brings t

6.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

When a larger group, organization, or country absorbs a smaller one, it brings the smaller one inside itself so that the two stop being separate and act as one.

Example

In 1990, East Germany was absorbed into the larger West German state.

passive: be absorbed into + larger entity

The big tech firm absorbed three smaller startups in a single year.

active: large absorbs small

Common collocations
  • be absorbed into
  • absorb a company
  • absorb a region
  • absorb a team
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

absorb + noun (smaller body)

be absorbed into + larger body

Usage Note

Often passive: 'be absorbed into [larger body]'. Subject and object are usually groups, organizations, regions, or populations rather than individuals.

7. If a project or activity absorbs a large amount of time, money, or other resourc

7.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

If a project or activity absorbs a large amount of time, money, or other resources, it takes up most of what is available, leaving little for anything else.

Example

The new bridge project absorbed nearly half of the city's yearly budget.

absorb + amount of money

Caring for her sick father absorbed most of Yuki's free time last summer.

absorb + time

Common collocations
  • absorb resources
  • absorb time
  • absorb money
  • absorb the budget
Synonyms
  • consume

    neutral synonym; common in formal writing

  • eat up

    informal; same meaning

  • take up

    everyday; less negative

Antonyms
  • save

    to keep resources for later use

Grammar Patterns

absorb + noun (time/money/resources)

Usage Note

Object is usually a quantity word (time, money, resources, energy, budget). Slightly formal; in everyday speech 'eat up' or 'take up' is more common. Distinguish from sense 5 — sense 5 is about paying a cost, sense 7 is about consuming a resource over time.

Word family

  • absorbent
    adjectiveC1
  • absorbing
    adjectiveC1
  • absorbed
    adjectiveB2
  • absorption
    nounC1
  • absorbency
    nounC2
  • reabsorb
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe a substance moving into something else, but they differ in tone and use. 'Absorb' is the most neutral and is used in both science and everyday writing — a sponge absorbs water, plants absorb light, walls absorb sound. 'Soak up' is informal and almost always used for liquids: 'soak up the spilled juice with a paper towel.' It can also be used figuratively for soaking up sunshine or atmosphere on holiday. 'Take in' is the simplest and broadest; it works for liquids, gases, food, and even information, but it sounds less technical than 'absorb'. 'Draw in' emphasises the pulling motion, often used for breath ('she drew in a deep breath') or for surfaces that pull moisture from the air. Use 'absorb' when you want a careful, scientific tone; use 'soak up' when you want a friendly, everyday image.

absorb ↗soak up ↗take in ↗draw in

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be absorbed in
  • be absorbed into
  • absorb the cost of
  • absorb the impact of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb came into English in the early 1400s through Old French 'absorber', from Latin 'absorbere', formed from 'ab-' meaning 'away' and 'sorbere' meaning 'to suck in or swallow'. Its earliest English uses were physical — about water, blood, or food being drawn in — and the meaning stretched over centuries to cover taking in heat and light, taking in ideas, holding someone's full attention, and finally carrying costs in business writing from the 1700s onward.