Absorption means taking something in and making it part of yourself. When you drop food coloring into water and watch it spread until the water turns completely blue, that's absorption: the water has absorbed the color. When a sponge soaks up spilled milk, it's absorbing the liquid into its tiny holes.

Your body absorbs nutrients from food as it passes through your intestines, pulling out vitamins, proteins, and energy your cells need. A towel absorbs water from your wet hair. Dark clothing absorbs more sunlight than light clothing, which is why black shirts feel hotter on sunny days.

The word also describes mental focus so complete that everything else disappears. When you're absorbed in a great book, you might not hear someone calling your name. A scientist absorbed in solving a puzzle might forget to eat lunch. This kind of absorption means your attention has been completely captured, as if your mind is soaking up every detail of what you're doing.

You can also talk about one thing being absorbed into another, like when a small company gets absorbed into a larger one and becomes part of it. In each case, absorption involves something becoming fully integrated or taken in, whether it's liquid into fabric, knowledge into your mind, or a smaller group into a larger one.