soak up

1. Drink to excess, as in She can really soak up her beer .

2. Absorb, take in, as in I lay there, soaking up the sun , or She often went to hear poets read their work, soaking up every word . This usage, alluding to absorbing a liquid, dates from the mid-1500s.

Example Sentences

When the rain starts to fall, it comes down with increased intensity on soils that are not best able to soak up high levels of water.

From BBC

Trees are vital for life, helping to clean the air and soak up carbon emissions, as well as providing homes for thousands of birds, insects and mammals.

From BBC

But the WMO's scientists also says they have seen some evidence that as the world gets warmer, trees are not able to soak up the same level of CO2 as they once were.

From BBC

So if the forests and the oceans become less able to soak up CO2, global warming could accelerate more rapidly.

From BBC

Researchers are also worried that forests are losing their ability to soak up carbon, which could be contributing to record levels of warming gas in the atmosphere.

From BBC

Related Words

• bake
• blot
• deplete
• drain
• empty
• evaporate
• exhaust
• sear
• shrivel
• wilt
• wipe
• wither