SOAK UP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does soak up mean? 

• SOAK UP (verb)
  The verb SOAK UP has 2 senses:

1. take in, also metaphorically

2. devote (oneself) fully to

  Familiarity information: SOAK UP used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SOAK UP (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take in, also metaphorically

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

absorb; draw; imbibe; soak up; sop up; suck; suck up; take in; take up

Context example:

She drew strength from the minister's words

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "soak up"):

mop; mop up; wipe up (to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop)

blot (dry (ink) with blotting paper)

sponge up (absorb as if with a sponge)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Devote (oneself) fully to

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

absorb; engross; engulf; immerse; plunge; soak up; steep

Context example:

He immersed himself into his studies

Hypernyms (to "soak up" is one way to...):

center; centre; concentrate; focus; pore; rivet (direct one's attention on something)

Verb group:

immerse; plunge (cause to be immersed)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "soak up"):

drink; drink in (be fascinated or spell-bound by; pay close attention to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP

 Context examples 

Oxygen, which passes easily through paper, could soak up electrons produced by the bacteria before they reach the electrode.

(New Type of Battery Created from Paper, Fueled by Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

"We now know that the oceans cooled much more in some regions. Cold water has the potential to soak up a lot more carbon from the atmosphere than past studies accounted for."

(Why atmospheric carbon dioxide was lower during ice ages, National Science Foundation)

It is true that they do warm climate by strong methane emissions when they first form, but on a longer-term scale, they switch to become climate coolers because they ultimately soak up more carbon from the atmosphere than they ever release.

(Certain Arctic lakes store more greenhouse gases than they release, NSF)