absorption

absorption — noun

1. the way that one material — for example water, air, sound, or heat — soaks into

1.nounB2
Definition

the way that one material — for example water, air, sound, or heat — soaks into or is drawn inside another, so that it becomes part of it.

Example

Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium from food into the bones.

absorption of [substance] into [body part]

Dark curtains improve the absorption of sound in the small recording room.

absorption of sound / energy

Common collocations
  • water absorption
  • sound absorption
  • heat absorption
  • absorption rate
  • shock absorption
Synonyms
  • uptake

    more technical; common in biology and economics

  • soaking up

    informal phrasing for the same physical process

Antonyms
  • release

    the opposite direction — letting a substance out

  • reflection

    specifically for light or sound bouncing back instead of being taken in

Grammar Patterns

absorption of [substance]

absorption into [body/material]

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable. Subject is typically a substance, surface, or body part; the thing taken in is introduced by 'of', and the receiving medium often by 'into' or 'by'.

Common Mistakes

The plant has many absorptions of water.
The plant has high water absorption.
uncountable, so no plural and no article 'an absorption'.

2. the state of being so deeply focused on a book, task, or thought that you almost

2.nounC1
Definition

the state of being so deeply focused on a book, task, or thought that you almost forget what is happening around you.

Example

Nikolai's absorption in her painting was so deep that she missed dinner.

absorption in [activity]

The boy's complete absorption in the video game worried his parents.

complete / total absorption

Common collocations
  • complete absorption
  • total absorption
  • deep absorption
  • absorption in work
  • absorption in study
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • distraction

    the opposite mental state — attention pulled away

Grammar Patterns

absorption in [activity/subject]

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'in' + a noun naming the activity or subject of focus. Often modified by 'complete', 'total', or 'deep'. Distinguish from sense 1 (TAKING IN) by the abstract subject — a person's mind, not a substance.

Common Mistakes

His absorption on the book was complete.
His absorption in the book was complete.
the preposition is always 'in', not 'on' or 'with'.

3. in business, the act of a company paying extra costs or losses itself rather tha

3.nounC2
Definition

in business, the act of a company paying extra costs or losses itself rather than passing them on to customers or workers.

Example

The factory announced full absorption of the new tariff costs to keep prices steady.

absorption of costs

Shareholders questioned the bank's absorption of millions in trading losses.

absorption of losses

Common collocations
  • cost absorption
  • absorption of losses
  • absorption of tariffs
  • full absorption
Synonyms
  • soaking up

    informal version used in business journalism

Antonyms
  • pass-through

    passing costs directly to customers instead of paying them

Grammar Patterns

absorption of [costs/losses]

Usage Note

Subject is normally a company, bank, or government body. Object (after 'of') is almost always negative — costs, losses, fees, taxes, charges. Common in business news and accounting reports.

4. the way a smaller company, region, or group is taken in by a larger one and beco

4.nounC2
Definition

the way a smaller company, region, or group is taken in by a larger one and becomes part of it, often losing its separate identity.

Example

The absorption of the local bus firm into the national operator cost many drivers their old uniforms.

absorption of X into Y

Workers feared the absorption of their small studio by the Hollywood giant.

absorption of X by Y

Common collocations
  • absorption into
  • cultural absorption
  • gradual absorption
  • complete absorption
Synonyms
  • takeover

    more neutral; everyday business word for the same event

  • assimilation

    stresses the smaller group adopting the larger one's culture

  • merger

    suggests two equal parties; absorption suggests one swallowing the other

Antonyms
  • separation

    the smaller group breaking away rather than being taken in

Grammar Patterns

absorption of [smaller group] into [larger group]

Usage Note

The smaller party usually appears after 'of' and the larger one after 'into' or 'by'. Often carries a slight negative tone of identity being lost. Distinguish from sense 1 — here the things merging are organisations or groups, not substances.

Common Mistakes

The absorption of the small bank with the big one was sudden.
The absorption of the small bank into the big one was sudden.
use 'into' for the larger party that takes over.

Word family

  • absorb
    verbB2
  • absorbed
    adjectiveC1
  • absorbing
    adjectiveC1
  • absorbent
    adjectiveC2
  • absorbency
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe one thing taking another inside, but each suggests a different setting. 'Absorption' is the everyday and scientific term for liquids, gases, sound, or heat being drawn into a material — for example, the absorption of water by a sponge. 'Uptake' is more technical and is preferred in biology, medicine, and economics, as in 'oxygen uptake' or 'the uptake of new technology'. 'Assimilation' moves the idea further: it stresses that what is taken in becomes a real part of the host, and it is often used for food turning into body tissue or for ideas joining a person's thinking. 'Soaking' is informal and physical, and is mostly used for cloth or sponges in the kitchen — 'the soaking of the towel in warm water' — never for sound or heat.

absorption ↗uptake ↗assimilationsoaking

Common collocations

Nouns

  • absorption rate
  • absorption capacity
  • shock absorption
  • water absorption
  • sound absorption
  • heat absorption
  • cost absorption
  • nutrient absorption

Adverbs

Phrases

  • high level of absorption
  • rate of absorption
  • process of absorption

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed into English in the late 1500s from Latin 'absorptio', a noun built on the verb 'absorbere' — formed from 'ab-' meaning 'away' and 'sorbere' meaning 'to suck in or swallow'. The earliest English uses described liquids being drawn into a body or material; the figurative meaning of being mentally caught up in something developed in the 1700s, and the business senses of taking on costs or merging companies appeared in the 1800s and 1900s.