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Absorb   /əbzˈɔrb/   Listen
verb
Absorb  v. t.  (past & past part. absorbed; pres. part. absorbing)  
1.
To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include. "Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all." "The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion."
2.
To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body.
3.
To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth.
4.
To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass.
Synonyms: To Absorb, Engross, Swallow up, Engulf. These words agree in one general idea, that of completely taking up. They are chiefly used in a figurative sense and may be distinguished by a reference to their etymology. We speak of a person as absorbed (lit., drawn in, swallowed up) in study or some other employment of the highest interest. We speak of a person as ebgrossed (lit., seized upon in the gross, or wholly) by something which occupies his whole time and thoughts, as the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment of honor. We speak of a person (under a stronger image) as swallowed up and lost in that which completely occupies his thoughts and feelings, as in grief at the death of a friend, or in the multiplied cares of life. We speak of a person as engulfed in that which (like a gulf) takes in all his hopes and interests; as, engulfed in misery, ruin, etc. "That grave question which had begun to absorb the Christian mind the marriage of the clergy." "Too long hath love engrossed Britannia's stage, And sunk to softness all our tragic rage." "Should not the sad occasion swallow up My other cares?" "And in destruction's river Engulf and swallow those."






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Absorb" Quotes from Famous Books



... will read it too, and arise from the perusal gratified. Those, however, who are true, contrite Christians will go still farther; they will own that few works so intensely touch the holiest and highest feelings; few so absorb the heart; few so greatly show the vanity of life; the unspeakable value of purifying faith. 'It is a book which the critic,' says Doctor Johnson, 'may read for its elegance, the philosopher for its arguments, ...
— The Wits and Beaux of Society - Volume 1 • Grace Wharton and Philip Wharton

... still. Such a woman as this would like to absorb the whole affection of her mistress in herself. You laugh. She is a servant, and a common person. How can such a person conceive an affection so strong as to become a passion for one so superior? But it is true. It is perfectly well known, and there have ...
— Blind Love • Wilkie Collins

... a home denied: Yes! while the parent was intent to trace How men in office climb from place to place, By day, by night, o'er moor and heath, and hill, Roved the sad youth, with ever-changing will, Of every aid bereft, exposed to every ill. Thus as he sat, absorb'd in all the care And all the hope that anxious fathers share, A friend abruptly to his presence brought, With trembling hand, the subject of his thought; Whom he had found afflicted and subdued By hunger, sorrow, cold, ...
— Tales • George Crabbe

... The tactics to be pursued under these circumstances are thus outlined in "Infantry Training, 1921": "When forward troops are held up by the enemy's organised fire at close ranges they must keep him pinned to his ground and absorb his attention by maintaining a vigorous fire and working their way closer when opportunity offers. It will be the duty of the Supports to turn the flank of, and enfilade, that portion of the enemy's defences where a garrison is opposing {56} the Forward Body. ...
— Lectures on Land Warfare; A tactical Manual for the Use of Infantry Officers • Anonymous

... that 'take over' the support trenches get varied instructions and advice about tending the plants and flowers round the dugouts, and watering the mustard-and-cress box. They absorb the advice, strip their accoutrements and tunics, roll up their shirt-sleeves, and open the throats, fish out soap and towels from their packs, and proceed to the pump to lather and wash copiously. The companies for the forward ...
— Between the Lines • Boyd Cable


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