assimilate [verb uh-sim-uh-leyt; noun uh-sim-uh-lit, -leyt] ExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for assimilate on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.
- to take in and incorporate as one’s own; absorb: He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip.
- to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust: to assimilate the new immigrants.
- Physiology. to convert (food) to substances suitable for incorporation into the body and its tissues.
- to cause to resemble (usually followed by to or with).
- to compare; liken (usually followed by to or with).
- Phonetics. to modify by assimilation.
verb (used without object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.
- to be or become absorbed.
- to conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like: The new arrivals assimilated easily and quickly.
- Physiology. (of food) to be converted into the substance of the body; be absorbed into the system.
- to bear a resemblance (usually followed by to or with).
- Phonetics. to become modified by assimilation.
noun
- something that is assimilated.
Origin of assimilate 1570–80; Latin assimilātus likened to, made like (past participle of assimilāre), equivalent to as- as- + simil- (see similar) + -ātus -ate1 Related formsas·sim·i·la·tor, nounnon·as·sim·i·lat·ing, adjectivere·as·sim·i·late, verb, re·as·sim·i·lat·ed, re·as·sim·i·lat·ing.un·as·sim·i·lat·ed, adjectiveun·as·sim·i·lat·ing, adjectivewell-as·sim·i·lat·ed, adjective Related Words for assimilate grasp, incorporate, understand, comprehend, accommodate, adapt, homogenize, sense, digest, ingest, learn, conform, mingle, fit, accustom, acculturate, acclimatize, intermix, standardize, parallel Examples from the Web for assimilate Contemporary Examples of assimilate
They had worried about being able to assimilate into a culture so different from the one they had left behind.
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Nick Kotz
September 20, 2014
Their stories were told again and again in an attempt to assimilate the tragedy, to comprehend the incomprehensible.
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11
John Avlon
September 11, 2014
Our bodies have a tendency to assimilate to the cognitive enhancements of tea, which can eventually lead to addiction.
Forget 5-Hour Energy: Tea Is a Better Buzz
Gregory Ferenstein
July 22, 2014
The 21 percent of students whose parents are immigrants will have less of a chance to assimilate.
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Caitlin Dickson
May 7, 2014
Americanah By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie A woman struggles to assimilate in Nigeria after living in the U.S. for 13 years.
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Cameron Martin, Jessica Ferri, Jimmy So
May 20, 2013
Historical Examples of assimilate
He gives what His hearers might be assumed to be able to assimilate; but that is all.
Basil King
What sense would there be in attempting to assimilate our several needs?
Theodor Hertzka
He thought for himself, and yet he could assimilate the ideas of other men.
Shelley, Godwin and Their Circle
H. N. Brailsford
Again there was an electric silence, and Beardsley let it assimilate.
Henry Hasse
There was more to be got if we had the wit to assimilate it.
Stephen Gwynn
British Dictionary definitions for assimilate assimilate verb
- (tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly
- (tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues
- (intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood
- (usually foll by into or with) to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjustedthe new immigrants assimilated easily
- (usually foll by to or with) to become or cause to become similar
- (usually foll by to) phonetics to change (a consonant) or (of a consonant) to be changed into another under the influence of one adjacent to it(n) often assimilates to ŋ before (k), as in “include”
Derived Formsassimilable, adjectiveassimilably, adverbassimilation, nounassimilative or assimilatory, adjectiveassimilator, nounassimilatively, adverbWord Origin for assimilate C15: from Latin assimilāre to make one thing like another, from similis like, similar Word Origin and History for assimilate v.
early 15c., from Latin assimilatus “feigned, pretended, fictitious,” past participle of assimilare “to make like,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + simulare “make similar,” from similis “like, resembling” (see similar). Originally transitive (with to); intransitive use first recorded 1837. Related: Assimilated; assimilating.
assimilate in Medicine assimilate [ə-sĭm′ə-lāt′] v.
- To consume and incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion.
- To transform food into living tissue by the process of anabolism.