absorbs

verb

present tense third-person singular of absorb
1
as in drinks
to take in (something liquid) through small openings most of the spilled water was absorbed by the tablecloth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in occupies
to hold the attention of chatting on the phone doesn't absorb me so much that I can't do something else at the same time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in integrates
to make a part of a body or system local schools will seek to absorb the new immigrants into the regular curriculum as quickly as possible

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in consumes
to make complete use of cleaning the house absorbed the rest of his energy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in tolerates
to put up with (something painful or difficult) somehow she managed to absorb whatever hardships life offered

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of absorbs Photoluminescence occurs when a material absorbs energy and subsequently emits light. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026 Plus the formula features a milky serum-like texture that feels featherlight and absorbs fast. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026 Ivory paint absorbs some of the light’s reflection, a small amount to be sure, but enough to soften the light’s expression. — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026 Your body absorbs about 25% of heme iron, compared to roughly 17% of non-heme iron. — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 9 Oct. 2026 Instead of entering the bloodstream through a shot, the peptide absorbs across the tissue lining the mouth. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 That runoff waters the plants and filters pollutants as the soil absorbs it. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Fortunately, the atmosphere absorbs most of them, but a few stray particles pass through your body every second. — Tyce Deyoung, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026 The merchant processes the transaction and absorbs the associated costs. — Ken Nizam, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for absorbs
  1. drinks
  2. occupies
  3. integrates
  4. consumes
  5. tolerates
  6. swallows
  7. immerses
  8. incorporates
Verb
  • Each drinks from an enormous glass bottle of water rather than wasting time with a cup.
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The impression is of a raucous house party—one in which secrets are spilled, kisses are stolen, and everyone drinks far too much.
    — Zing Tsjeng, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of drinks
Verb
  • The 16-acre complex of 19th-century mill buildings occupies almost a third of the North Adams downtown business region.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Zhu-Nowell is executive director and chief curator of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum, which occupies a 1930s building renovated by British architect David Chipperfield in 2010.
    — Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupies
Verb
  • The firm manages the cable’s arrival on France’s Atlantic coast and integrates it into Europe’s terrestrial network.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • QuickBooks integrates with more than 800 popular platforms and applications, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Gusto, Mailchimp, PayPal, Salesforce, Shopify, Square, Stripe and Zapier.
    — Dana Miranda, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of integrates
Verb
  • Every operation consumes computational resources, while storing intermediate results requires additional qubits.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Someone who orally consumes ketamine would typically begin to feel its effects within 20 minutes.
    — Christopher P. Holstege, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of consumes
Verb
  • Scientists have long marveled at how the human body tolerates extreme heat — and what that means for our health.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
  • That also suggests the league accepts, or at least tolerates, the flag-heavy officiating that has come to define the early months of the season.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of tolerates
Verb
  • In many of his shots, the big sky of Ukraine’s fields and steppe swallows the frame.
    — Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Social Security swallows nearly a quarter of the federal budget and is less than a decade away from insolvency.
    — Andrew G. Biggs, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of swallows
Verb
  • Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon is a riverside accommodation that immerses guests in the works of local artists, with 100 waterfront sculptures comprising a large-scale art installation and an on-site gallery.
    — Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In Nobody Wants This, agnostic podcaster Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) begins an unexpected romance with Rabbi Noah Roklov (Brody), which shakes both their families as Joanne immerses herself in Noah’s culture and decides to convert to Judaism.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of immerses
Verb
  • The collection also incorporates diamonds sourced through GemFair, De Beers Group’s initiative supporting artisanal and small-scale miners, reinforcing the company’s efforts to connect provenance with luxury craftsmanship.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The lawsuit, filed by Florida lawyer Spencer Kuvin, incorporates much of the findings of the Ethics Committee probe, which was eventually made public.
    — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of incorporates

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Cite this Entry

“Absorbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absorbs. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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