verb
Meaning 1
To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
imbibe
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ɪmˈbaɪb/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -aɪb
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CMU ARPABET: IH0 M B AY1 B Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To take in; absorb.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- to imbibe knowledge
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To steep; to cause to absorb liquid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
receive into the mind and retain
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Imbibe ethical principles
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: absorb, assimilate, ingest, take in
verb
Meaning 5
take in liquids
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The patient must drink several liters each day
- The children like to drink soda
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: drink
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: consume, ingest, take in, take, have
Narrower terms: swill, swill down, suck, guggle, gurgle, sip, guzzle, lap, lap up, lick, drain the cup, drink up, gulp, quaff, swig, toss off, pop, bolt down, belt down, pour down, down, drink down, kill
verb
Meaning 6
take in, also metaphorically
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The sponge absorbs water well
- She drew strength from the minister's words
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: absorb, suck, soak up, sop up, suck up, draw, take in, take up
Antonyms: none provided
Narrower terms: wipe up, mop up, mop, blot, sponge up
verb
Meaning 7
take (gas, light or heat) into a solution
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: assimilate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: absorb
History
Etymology
From Middle English imbiben, from Latin imbibō, from im- + bibō (“to drink”) (whence also beverage), from Proto-Italic *pibō, from Proto-Indo-European *peh3-, whence also potable, potion.
Across languages
Translations
46 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Armenian: ըմպել (əmpel) — drink
- Bulgarian: пи́я (píja) — drink
- Bulgarian: изпи́вам (izpívam) — drink
- Chinese Mandarin: 飲 /饮 (yǐn) — drink
- Chinese Mandarin: 喝 (hē) — drink
- Czech: nasávat — drink
- Dutch: tot zich nemen — drink
- Dutch: nuttigen — drink
- Dutch: drinken — drink
- Finnish: juoda — drink
- French: boire — drink
- German: trinken — drink
- Italian: assorbire — drink
- Korean: 마시다 (masida) — drink
- Polish: pić — drink
- Portuguese: beber — drink
- Romanian: bea — drink
- Russian: пить (pitʹ) — drink
- Russian: принима́ть (prinimátʹ) — drink
- Sanskrit: पिबति (pibati) — drink
- Scottish Gaelic: deoghail — drink
- Swedish: dricka — drink
- Swedish: supa — drink
- Bulgarian: пое́мам (poémam) — take in
- Bulgarian: поглъ́щам (poglǎ́štam) — take in
- Chinese Mandarin: 吸收 (xīshōu) — take in
- Chinese Mandarin: 吸取 (xīqǔ) — take in
- Chinese Mandarin: 吸入 (xīrù) — take in
- Czech: nasát — take in
- Czech: vstřebat — take in
- Dutch: tot zich nemen — take in
- Dutch: opnemen — take in
- Finnish: omaksua — take in
- Finnish: imeä itseensä — take in
- French: absorber — take in
- German: vereinnahmen — take in
- Japanese: 吸収する (kyūshū suru) — take in
- Korean: 흡수하다 (heupsuhada) — take in
- Middle English: imbiben — take in
- Portuguese: embeber — take in
- Romanian: îmbiba — take in
- Russian: перенима́ть (perenimátʹ) — take in
- Russian: поглоща́ть (pogloščátʹ) — take in
- Spanish: embeber — take in
- Swedish: anamma — take in
- Ottoman Turkish: چكمك (çekmek) — take in