assimilate

1 of 2

verb

as·​sim·​i·​late ə-ˈsi-mə-ˌlāt How to pronounce assimilate (audio)
assimilated; assimilating

transitive verb

1
a
: to take into the mind and thoroughly understand
assimilate information
Students need to assimilate new concepts.
b
: to take in and utilize as nourishment : to absorb into the system
The body assimilates digested food.
2
a
: to absorb into the cultural tradition of a population or group
b
: to make similar
… the only faculty that seems to assimilate man to the immortal gods.Joseph Conrad
c
phonetics : to alter by the process of assimilation (see assimilation sense 3)
3

intransitive verb

: to be taken in or absorbed : to become assimilated
Food assimilates better if taken slowly.Francis Cutler Marshall
assimilator noun
What prepositions are used with assimilate?: Usage Guide

When assimilate is followed by a preposition, transitive senses 2a and 2b commonly take to and into and less frequently with; sense 2c regularly takes to; sense 3 most often takes to and sometimes with. The most frequent prepositions used with the intransitive sense are to and into.

assimilate

2 of 2

noun

as·​sim·​i·​late ə-ˈsi-mə-lət How to pronounce assimilate (audio) -ˌlāt How to pronounce assimilate (audio)
: something that is assimilated

Did you know?

Linguistic assimilation?

There are a handful of words in English that are examples of themselves, representatives of the very things that they describe. One such word is sesquipedalian ("having many syllables" or "characterized by the use of long words"). Another example, in a slightly less obvious fashion, is assimilate. When used as a technical word to describe a certain process of language change, assimilate refers to the habit that some sounds have of becoming more like the sounds that are close to them in a word (see assimilation, sense 3). For instance, the original spelling of immovable in English was inmovable, and over time the n began to sound more like its neighboring m, to the point that it actually became that letter.

Something similar occurred before assimilate was a word in English. Assimilate comes from the Latin prefix ad- (meaning "to, towards") and similis ("similar"). Over time the d of the prefix ad- assimilated itself with the s of similis.

Examples of assimilate in a Sentence

Verb Over time, most of the inhabitants of the "Little Italies" … assimilated rapidly to the society … Stephan Thernstrom, Times Literary Supplement, 26 May 2000
Those groups were eagerly assimilating into the larger culture and rejecting their own cuisine … Corby Kummer, New York Times Book Review, 16 Aug. 1998
The mistaken attempts to assimilate Lindner's paintings into the Pop Art movement in the 1960s … Hilton Kramer, Arts & Antiques, January 1997
Children need to assimilate new ideas. There was a lot of information to assimilate at school. Schools were used to assimilate the children of immigrants. They found it hard to assimilate to American society. Many of these religious traditions have been assimilated into the culture.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Public consciousness has not yet assimilated the point that technology is ideology. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 So Paul assimilates into the Fremen world, learning to survive in the desert, ride the gigantic sandworms that populate it, and eventually gain enough local cred to woo Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen woman tasked with mentoring him. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 The Observer caught up with Mann to chat about how he’s assimilated himself rather seamlessly into the Hornets’ fabric in only a handful of games. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 22 Feb. 2024 The company has no intention to sell-off Ventilator business however expects that the dominant manufacturers in the market will assimilate it. Joe Cornell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The 0s’ sentinel has been assimilated into the body of local lobster fisherman Jony, drily played by first-timer Brandon Vlieghe, who from some angles can look runty and rustic and from others like a dashing Han Solo-esque hero, albeit one with nefarious rather than gallantly roguish intentions. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 18 Feb. 2024 Whether Wood and Colton were part of the group Toews was frustrated with is immaterial, but the improvements those two have made in assimilating to how the Avs want to play are obvious. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2024 As at their counterparts in the United States, Indigenous students were stripped of their language, culture, community and family ties and were forcibly assimilated into the dominant white, Christian culture. Jordan Michael Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 Xi has used his notion of national culture, largely defined by the Han Chinese majority, as a bludgeon for forcibly assimilating the country’s Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other such groups. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2023
Noun
Either assimilate, leave voluntarily, or be deported. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 6 Nov. 2023 The more advanced kids in the class have quietly watched Eflin assimilate. Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023 With deregulation in the 1980s, the focus of the training shifted to helping women and people of color assimilate into existing corporate cultures. Glenn Llopis, Forbes, 26 June 2021 Now, the pressure is on resident advisers and others to help the Class of 2023 assimilate. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2019 According to Sessions, a good immigrant assimilates. Jeneé Osterheldt, kansascity, 6 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assimilate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English assimilaten "to make similar," borrowed from Medieval Latin assimilāre, assimulāre "to make similar, digest, compare," going back to Latin, "to pretend, feign, assume the likeness of, cause to resemble, imitate, portray, liken (to)," from as- as- + similāre "to pretend, assume the appearance of by one's conduct, imitate" — more at simulate

Noun

derivative of assimilate entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1671, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of assimilate was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near assimilate

Cite this Entry

“Assimilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assimilate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

assimilate

verb
as·​sim·​i·​late
ə-ˈsim-ə-ˌlāt
assimilated; assimilating
: to take something in and make it part of the thing it has joined

Medical Definition

assimilate

1 of 2 verb
as·​sim·​i·​late ə-ˈsim-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce assimilate (audio)
assimilated; assimilating

transitive verb

1
: to take in and utilize as nourishment : absorb into the system
2
: to absorb into the cultural tradition of a population or group
the community assimilated many immigrants

intransitive verb

1
: to become absorbed or incorporated into the system
some foods assimilate more readily than others
2
: to become culturally assimilated

assimilate

2 of 2 noun
as·​sim·​i·​late -lət, -ˌlāt How to pronounce assimilate (audio)
: something that is assimilated

More from Merriam-Webster on assimilate

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