absorb
ab·sorb/æbˈsɔɹb/verb
absorb is spelled A-B-S-O-R-B: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ab·sorb). It appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, absorb means “To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in absorb?
| Letters | 6: A-B-S-O-R-B |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ab·sorb |
| In writing | 6.5 times per million words; the 9,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is absorb?
Absorb appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce absorb?
- UK /əbˈzɔːb/
- UK /əbˈsɔːb/
- US /æbˈsɔɹb/
Absorb has 2 syllables, split ab·sorb in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-absorb.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with absorb?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as absorb from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹb/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of absorb
- absorbs present, singular, he/she/it
- absorbing participle, present
- absorbed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does absorb mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to take in and use up.
- 2
obsoleteTo engulf, as in water; to swallow up.
- 3
To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe, like a sponge or as the lacteals of the body; to chemically take in.
- 4
To be absorbed, or sucked in; to sink in.
The drops of water slowly absorbed into the dry sponge.
- 5
To take in energy and convert it.
Heat, light, and electricity are absorbed in the substances into which they pass.
- 6
in receiving a physical impact or vibration without recoil.
- 7
in receiving sound energy without repercussion or echo.
- 8
taking in radiant energy and converting it to a different form of energy, like heat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Absorb in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | absorber , éponger |
| German | absorbieren, (in sich) aufnehmen , aufsaugen , konsumieren, aufbrauchen |
| Portuguese | absorver |
| Spanish | absorber |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does absorb come from?
From Middle French absorber, from Old French assorbir, from Latin absorbeō (“swallow up”), from ab- (“from”) + sorbeō (“suck in, swallow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- (“to sip”). Compare French absorber.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).