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imbibe

American  
[im-bahyb] / ɪmˈbaɪb /

verb (used with object)

imbibed, imbibing

  1. to consume (liquids) by drinking; drink.

    He imbibed great quantities of iced tea.
    Synonyms:
    swallow

  2. to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat.

    Plants imbibe moisture from the soil.

  3. to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like.

    to imbibe a sermon; to imbibe beautiful scenery.

verb (used without object)

imbibed, imbibing

  1. to drink, especially alcoholic beverages.

    Just a soft drink for me—I don't imbibe.

  2. to absorb liquid or moisture.

  3. Archaic. to soak or saturate; imbue.

imbibe British  
/ ɪmˈbaɪb /

verb

  1. to drink (esp alcoholic drinks)

  2. literary to take in or assimilate (ideas, facts, etc)

    to imbibe the spirit of the Renaissance

  3. (tr) to take in as if by drinking

    to imbibe fresh air

  4. to absorb or cause to absorb liquid or moisture; assimilate or saturate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See drink.

Other Word Forms

  • imbiber noun
  • preimbibe verb (used with object)
  • unimbibed adjective
  • unimbibing adjective

Etymology

Origin of imbibe

1350–1400; < Latin imbibere to drink in, equivalent to im- im- 1 + bibere to drink; replacing Middle English enbiben < Middle French embiber < Latin, as above

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.