What does absorb mean?
Word: Absorb
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Absorb means to soak up a liquid, heat or light. It can also mean to take in and understand what you read or hear.
Synonyms: soak up, take in
Antonyms: give off
How do you spell absorb?
Syllables: ab - sorb
Tricky part: The middle sound is often heard as a z, but it is written with an s. Say the r clearly too, or it slips out of the spelling.
Watch out for: abzorb, absob
Memory tip: Sponge, soak and sip all start with s, and the soaking sound in absorb is an s too, even though it buzzes like a z.
Absorb in a sentence
Example 1: The dry ground absorbed the rain within minutes.
Example 2: Plants absorb water through their roots.
Example 3: I read the chapter twice to absorb all the facts before the test.
Fun Fact
Dark clothes absorb more sunlight than white ones, which is why a black T-shirt feels hotter on a sunny afternoon.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
_bs_rb
a) a, o
b) a, u
c) u, o
d) e, o
Show answer
a) a, o. The word opens with a short a, and the vowel before the last r-b is an o.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) spunge
b) absorb
c) evaperate
d) moischure
Show answer
b) absorb. Evaporate needs an o after the p, moisture ends in ture and sponge has an o; absorb is right.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: absorb
a) swallow
b) gather
c) release
d) drink
Show answer
c) release. To release something is to let it go, while absorbing means taking it in.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
robsab
a) abosrb
b) absrob
c) absorb
d) asborb
Show answer
c) absorb. Two b's hide in these letters: one goes second and the other goes last.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. You spill milk on the table. Which of these would absorb it best?
a) a plastic sheet
b) a cotton cloth
c) a glass tray
d) a steel plate
Show answer
b) a cotton cloth
2. A dry sponge is dropped into a bowl of water. What happens?
a) it fills with water and gets heavier
b) it gets lighter and floats off
c) it melts away into the bowl
d) it turns the water into ice
Show answer
a) it fills with water and gets heavier
