Definition of 'assimilate'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense assimilates
, present participle assimilating
, past tense, past participle assimilated
1. verb
When people such as immigrants assimilate into a community or when that community assimilates them, they become an accepted part of it.
[Also V n, V n into n] Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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Word Frequency
assimilate in British English
verb
4. (usually foll by into or with)
the new immigrants assimilated easily
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
assimilable (asˈsimilable) adjective
assimilably (asˈsimilably)
adverb
assimilation (asˌsimiˈlation)
noun
assimilative (asˈsimilative) or assimilatory (asˈsimilatory)
adjective
assimilator (asˈsimiˌlator)
noun
assimilatively (asˈsimilatively)
adverb
Word origin
C15: from Latin assimilāre to make one thing like another, from similis like, similarWord Frequency
assimilate in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: asˈsimiˌlated or asˈsimiˌlating
1.
2.
to absorb and incorporate into one's thinking
verb intransitive
7.
to become like or alike
8.
to be absorbed and incorporated
9. Linguistics
to undergo assimilation
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME assimilaten < L assimilatus, pp. of assimilare < ad-, to + similare, make similar < similis, like: see sameWord Frequency
assimilate in American English
(verb əˈsɪməˌleit, noun əˈsɪməlɪt, -ˌleit) (verb -lated, -lating)
transitive verb
1.
to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb
He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip
2.
to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust
to assimilate the new immigrants
3. Physiology
4. (usually fol. by to or with)
to cause to resemble
5. (usually fol. by to or with)
to compare; liken
intransitive verb
7.
to be or become absorbed
8.
to conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like
The new arrivals assimilated easily and quickly
9. Physiology (of food)
to be converted into the substance of the body; be absorbed into the system
11. Phonetics
to become modified by assimilation
noun
12.
something that is assimilated
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
assimilator noun
Word origin
[1570–80; ‹ L assimilātus likened to, made like (ptp. of assimilāre), equiv. to as- as- + simil- ( see similar) + -ātus -ate1]Examples of 'assimilate' in a sentence
assimilate
Example sentences from the Collins Corpus
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Lactobacillus acidophilus has the ability to remove, assimilate and decompose the
biodegradable organic matters present in the effluents.
Soil-derived isolates of methanol-utilizers can also often assimilate multicarbon
compounds as alternative substrates.
Example sentences from Collins dictionaries
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Most of them are trying to assimilate themselves into society.
My mind could only assimilate one possibility at a time.
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assimilate
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In other languages
assimilate
British English: assimilate
VERB /əˈsɪmɪleɪt/
When people such as immigrants assimilate into a community or when that community assimilates them, they become an accepted part of it.
- American English: assimilate /əˈsɪmɪleɪt/
- Brazilian Portuguese: assimilar
- Chinese: 同化
- European Spanish: asimilar
- French: s'assimiler
- German: integrieren
- Italian: assimilare
- Japanese: 同化する
- Korean: 동화되다
- European Portuguese: assimilar
- Latin American Spanish: asimilar
- Thai: ปรับตัวให้กลมกลืน
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assimilate
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assimilate
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Definition of assimilate from the Collins English Dictionary
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