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# absorb

«absorb» in Mova's school dictionary: **to take it in, as a sponge takes in water** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (absorb, absorbs, absorbed, absorbing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To absorb a liquid, gas or heat is to take it in, as a sponge takes in water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#m1)

2) To absorb information is to learn it and understand it. [tree →](https://md.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://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#m4)

### sense 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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x1)
- Paper towels absorb spills. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x2)
- Black clothes absorb more heat from the Sun. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x3)
- Plant roots absorb water from the soil. [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x5)
- A bike helmet absorbs the force of a fall. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x6)
- I need time to absorb all this information. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x7)
- Which material absorbs the most water? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/#x8)
- Crimthann absorbed instruction like a sponge and digested it as rapidly. [tree →](https://md.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.

### In the corpora

- [Japan has strict earthquake rules, and many buildings have flexible frames or shock-absorbing bases that let them move without breaking.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/34-buildings-and-architecture/13/)
- [Never run a microwave empty, because nothing absorbs the energy and it can be damaged.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/106-kitchen-floors-food-safety-and-the-microwave/12/)
- [Spinach contains iron, but the body absorbs it poorly, so spinach is not the iron superfood of cartoons.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/21-what-vitamins-do/10/)
- [An object looks the colour of the light it reflects; it absorbs the other colours.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/53-light/17/)
- [A black object absorbs almost all light, and a white object reflects almost all of it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/53-light/18/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «absorb» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absorb/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.