From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishabsorbab‧sorb /əbˈsɔːb, əbˈzɔːb $ -ɔːrb/ ●●○ W3 verb [transitive] 1 liquid/gas to take in liquid, gas, or another substance from the surface or space around something Plants absorb nutrients from the soil.absorb something into something Water and salts are absorbed into our bloodstream.2 information to read or hear a large amount of new information and understand it Her capacity to absorb information is amazing.3 interest to interest someone so much that they do not pay attention to other things The movement and noise of the machines absorbed him completely.be absorbed in something Judith lay on the settee, absorbed in her book.4 become part of something to become part of something larger California absorbs many of the legal immigrants to the US.be absorbed into something We were soon absorbed into local village life.5 light/heat/energy/noise if something absorbs light, heat, energy, or noise, it takes it in Darker surfaces absorb heat. 6 deal with change/costs if something absorbs changes or costs, it accepts them and deals with them successfully The beer industry had absorbed a doubling of federal tax in 1991.7 money/time if something absorbs money, time etc, it uses a lot of it Defence spending absorbs almost 20% of the country’s wealth.8 force to reduce the effect of a sudden violent movement A well-designed sports shoe should absorb the impact on your feet.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
absorb• In the last 10 years, California has absorbed 35% of all legal immigrants to the U.S.• But it would be straining credulity too far to expect that everything will be absorbed.• To make pancakes, in a large mixing bowl, combine flour and water, stirring constantly until all water is absorbed.• Simmer the rice for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.• The university had to absorb a $14 million cut in funding.• Most people need to read something more than once to absorb all the ideas.• The railway, by then completely absorbed by the L.M.S., was completely dismantled in 1936.• Move the plants to a south-facing wall, where they can absorb daytime heat.• He appeared to understand, but whether he absorbed every detail I cannot say.• In the long run, other institutions have absorbed gender integration with only minor difficulty and have thrived as a result.• We were totally absorbed in one another and in our work.• Lead that gets into your body is absorbed into the bones.• Gandhi gave the party some attention but social uplift absorbed more of him.• A new baby has an enormous capacity for absorbing new information.• The insole is designed to absorb shock and provide arch support.• I keep the lesson simple because small kids can't absorb that much.• Few athletic teams can successfully absorb the loss of three starting players.• While the council absorbed this shock, the 1990 recession hit-knocking revenues down another $ 1. 5 million a year.be absorbed in something• Like a dreamer, the Apolline artist is absorbed in contemplation of something outside himself and does not identify with it.• He seemed, though, to be absorbed in conversation with Belle Maman.• Too often time on site is absorbed in dealing with contractor's queries rather than in looking at the work.• He was absorbed in eating, and his blond, straight hair fell forward over his forehead.• In the end, I didn't see them anyway, I was absorbed in my grief.• One of the processes of digestion is to reduce food to a substance which can be absorbed in the bloodstream as sugar.• For the next two hours she was absorbed in the film, which turned out to be as good as she had hoped.• Usually the same amount of heat is absorbed in the reverse reaction, when the oxygen is released by the haemoglobin.be absorbed into something• If they do so for long enough, one species may be absorbed into another.• Do they wait around, to be absorbed into any passer-by?• Soon, they will be absorbed into it and disappear from the bird books.• This process can speed up metabolism when digestion products are absorbed into the bloodstream.• These compounds are absorbed into the epithelial cells surrounding the central lumen containing the colloid.• Oxygen is absorbed into the water by surface movement, where a gaseous exchange takes place releasing carbon dioxide and absorbing oxygen.• In principle, there was nothing that could not be absorbed into this radically Christianized world.From Longman Business Dictionaryabsorbab‧sorb /əbˈsɔːb, əbˈzɔːb-ɔːrb/ verb [transitive]COMMERCE1if a large organization absorbs a smaller one, it takes control of it and makes it part of the organizationThe company was absorbed by IBM in 1995.absorb intoSeveral smaller companies were absorbed into the group.2if a business absorbs costs, it is able to deal with them without any bad effectsCareful cost control has allowed the bank to absorb the costs of the merger.3if a market absorbs a product, it accepts it and is able to sell itCanada absorbs about 23% of US exports.Trading was cautious and quiet as the market prepared to absorb £55 billion of government securities to be sold this week.4if something absorbs money or time, it uses a lot of itDefence spending absorbs almost 20% of the country’s wealth.→ See Verb tableOrigin absorb (1400-1500) French absorber, from Latin absorbere, from ab- “away” + sorbere “to suck up” 