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verb

absorb

CEFR B1

to take in or soak up liquid, heat, light or shock

In a sentence

Six example sentences with absorb, each labelled with its topic.

  • Dark soil absorbs more of the afternoon sun than pale sand, which is why the seedbed stays warm past sunset.

    Science

  • Good running shoes absorb the shock of each landing, so the jolt never travels all the way to your knees.

    Fitness

  • Peat bogs absorb rainfall like a sponge and release it slowly, which keeps the streams below running through August.

    Environment

  • Let the rice absorb the stock slowly over low heat, adding one ladle at a time until the grains turn creamy.

    Cooking

  • The panel's dark coating absorbs most of the light that hits it, and the cells beneath turn a fifth into current.

    Technology

  • Unsized paper absorbs ink the instant the brush touches it, so calligraphers cannot pause mid-stroke without a blot.

    Art

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Found in these word lists

Found in 6 published word listsAuthoritative

Each source is a published word list that contains absorb. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.