To drink in; suck up; imbibe, as a sponge; take in by absorption, as the lacteals of the body; hence, to take up or receive in, as by chemical or molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases.To swallow up; engulf; overwhelm: as, the sea absorbed the wreck.To swallow up the identity or individuality of; draw in as a constituent part; incorporate: as, the empire absorbed all the small states.To engross or engage wholly.In medicine, to counteract or neutralize: as, magnesia absorbs acidity in the stomach.