absorb
/æbˈsɔɹb/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.81 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to take in and use up.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all."
- "In some countries, the large cities absorb the wealth and fashion of the nation; they are the only fixed abodes of elegant and intelligent society, and the country is inhabited almost entirely by boorish peasantry."
- "As a microbullet impacts the graphene, the diameter of the cone it creates – determined by later examination of the petals – provides a way to measure how much energy the graphene absorbs before breaking."
- "Wages absorbed 80% of the total revenue (which was inescapable), and they were rising at almost twice the rate of fares, which were pegged by law."
- "to be absorpt, or swallowed up, in a lake of fire and brimstone."
- "The drops of water slowly absorbed into the dry sponge."
Etymology
From Middle French absorber, from Old French assorbir, from Latin absorbeō (“swallow up”), from ab- (“from”) + sorbeō (“suck in, swallow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- (“to sip”). Compare French absorber.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /æbˈsɔɹb/
- British English: /əbˈzɔːb/
Usage
Inflected Forms
absorbs (present, singular)
absorbing (participle, present)
absorbed (participle, past)
absorbed (past)
absorpt (archaic, participle)
absorpt (archaic, past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
absorbed (first person, past)
absorbest (archaic, present)
absorbed (past, second person)
absorbedst (archaic, past)