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# absorb

verb (absorb, absorbs, absorbed, absorbing)

«absorb» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To absorb a liquid, gas or heat is to take it in, as a sponge takes in water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#m1)
2. To absorb information is to learn it and understand it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#m2)
3. To be absorbed in something is to be so interested in it that you notice nothing else. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#m3)
4. To absorb a shock or blow is to take its force so it does less harm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#m4)

### In the lessons

In science, absorbent materials (paper towels, sponges, cotton, soil) soak up water, and testing which material absorbs most is a common fair-test experiment. Dark colours absorb more light and heat than light colours, which reflect it — so black cars get hot in summer. Plants absorb water through roots; the body absorbs food through the gut. Helmets and trainers absorb impact. Phrases: «absorb water», «absorbed in», «absorb light», «absorb the shock».

### Examples

- A sponge absorbs water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x1)
- Paper towels absorb spills. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x2)
- Black clothes absorb more heat from the Sun. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x3)
- Plant roots absorb water from the soil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x4)
- She was so absorbed in her book that she didn't hear me. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x5)
- A bike helmet absorbs the force of a fall. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x6)
- I need time to absorb all this information. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x7)
- Which material absorbs the most water? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x8)
- Crimthann absorbed instruction like a sponge and digested it as rapidly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x9)

### Note

Regular verb: absorbed. Adjective: absorbent; noun: absorption (note the p). «Absorbed in» = very interested. In science, «absorb» (take in) is the opposite of «reflect» for light and of «repel» for water.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «absorb» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«absorb» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/absorb.html) on Mova free.