absorb: Meaning and Definition of

ab•sorb

Pronunciation: (ab-sôrb', -zôrb'), [key]

— v.t.

to suck up or drink in (a liquid); soak up: A sponge absorbs water.
to swallow up the identity or individuality of; incorporate: The empire absorbed many small nations.
to involve the full attention of; to engross or engage wholly: so absorbed in a book that he did not hear the bell.
to occupy or fill: This job absorbs all of my time.
to take up or receive by chemical or molecular action: Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide.
to take in without echo, recoil, or reflection: to absorb sound and light; to absorb shock.
to take in and utilize:Can your brain absorb all this information? The market absorbed all the computers we could build.
to pay for (costs, taxes, etc.): The company will absorb all the research costs.
to swallow up.

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