imbibe

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im·bibe

(ĭm-bīb′)

v. im·bibed, im·bib·ing, im·bibes

v.tr.

1. To drink.

2. To absorb or take in as if by drinking: "The whole body ... imbibes delight through every pore" (Henry David Thoreau).

3. To receive and absorb into the mind: "Gladstone had ... imbibed a strong prejudice against Americans" (Philip Magnus).

4. Obsolete To permeate; saturate.

v.intr.

To drink alcoholic beverages.

[Middle English embiben, to soak up, saturate, from Latin imbibere, to drink in, imbibe : in-, in; see in-² + bibere, to drink; see pō(i)- in Indo-European roots.]

im·bib′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

imbibe

(ɪmˈbaɪb)

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

[C14: from Latin imbibere, from bibere to drink]

imˈbiber n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

im•bibe

(ɪmˈbaɪb)

v. -bibed, -bib•ing. v.t.

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

2. to absorb or soak up: Plants imbibe light from the sun.

3. to receive into the mind: to imbibe a sermon.

v.i.

4. to drink, esp. alcoholic beverages.

5. to absorb liquid or moisture.

[1350–1400; Middle English enbiben < Middle French embiber < Latin imbibere to drink in =im- im-¹ + bibere to drink]

im•bib′er, n.

syn: See drink.

imbibe

Past participle: imbibed
Gerund: imbibing

Imperative
imbibe
imbibe

Present
I imbibe
you imbibe
he/she/it imbibes
we imbibe
you imbibe
they imbibe

Preterite
I imbibed
you imbibed
he/she/it imbibed
we imbibed
you imbibed
they imbibed

Present Continuous
I am imbibing
you are imbibing
he/she/it is imbibing
we are imbibing
you are imbibing
they are imbibing

Present Perfect
I have imbibed
you have imbibed
he/she/it has imbibed
we have imbibed
you have imbibed
they have imbibed

Past Continuous
I was imbibing
you were imbibing
he/she/it was imbibing
we were imbibing
you were imbibing
they were imbibing

Past Perfect
I had imbibed
you had imbibed
he/she/it had imbibed
we had imbibed
you had imbibed
they had imbibed

Future
I will imbibe
you will imbibe
he/she/it will imbibe
we will imbibe
you will imbibe
they will imbibe

Future Perfect
I will have imbibed
you will have imbibed
he/she/it will have imbibed
we will have imbibed
you will have imbibed
they will have imbibed

Future Continuous
I will be imbibing
you will be imbibing
he/she/it will be imbibing
we will be imbibing
you will be imbibing
they will be imbibing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been imbibing
you have been imbibing
he/she/it has been imbibing
we have been imbibing
you have been imbibing
they have been imbibing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been imbibing
you will have been imbibing
he/she/it will have been imbibing
we will have been imbibing
you will have been imbibing
they will have been imbibing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been imbibing
you had been imbibing
he/she/it had been imbibing
we had been imbibing
you had been imbibing
they had been imbibing

Conditional
I would imbibe
you would imbibe
he/she/it would imbibe
we would imbibe
you would imbibe
they would imbibe

Past Conditional
I would have imbibed
you would have imbibed
he/she/it would have imbibed
we would have imbibed
you would have imbibed
they would have imbibed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	imbibe - take in, also metaphorically; "The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister's words" soak up, sop up, suck up, absorb, suck, take up, take in, draw mop, mop up, wipe up - to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop; "Mop the hallway now"; "He mopped her forehead with a towel" blot - dry (ink) with blotting paper sponge up - absorb as if with a sponge; "sponge up the spilled milk on the counter"
	2.	imbibe - take (gas, light or heat) into a solution assimilate absorb - become imbued; "The liquids, light, and gases absorb"
	3.	imbibe - take in liquids; "The patient must drink several liters each day"; "The children like to drink soda" drink ingest, consume, have, take in, take - serve oneself to, or consume regularly; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee" swill down, swill - drink large quantities of (liquid, especially alcoholic drink) suck - draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth; "suck the poison from the place where the snake bit"; "suck on a straw"; "the baby sucked on the mother's breast" guggle, gurgle - drink from a flask with a gurgling sound sip - drink in sips; "She was sipping her tea" guzzle - drink greedily or as if with great thirst; "The boys guzzled the cheap vodka" lap up, lick, lap - take up with the tongue; "The cat lapped up the milk"; "the cub licked the milk from its mother's breast" drain the cup, drink up - drink to the last drop; "drink up--there's more wine coming" gulp, quaff, swig - to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught; "The men gulped down their beers" belt down, bolt down, down, drink down, pour down, toss off, pop, kill - drink down entirely; "He downed three martinis before dinner"; "She killed a bottle of brandy that night"; "They popped a few beer after work"
	4.	imbibe - receive into the mind and retain; "Imbibe ethical principles" assimilate, ingest, absorb, take in - take up mentally; "he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe"

imbibe

verb (Formal)

1. drink, consume, knock back (informal), neck (slang), sink (informal), swallow, suck, hoover (informal), swig (informal), quaff They were used to imbibing enormous quantities of alcohol.

2. absorb, receive, take in, gain, gather, acquire, assimilate, ingest He'd imbibed a set of mystical beliefs from the cradle.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

imbibe

verb

1. To take into the mouth and swallow (a liquid):

drink, pull on, quaff, sip, sup.

Informal: swig, toss down (or off).

Slang: belt.

Idiom: wet one's whistle.

2. To take alcoholic liquor, especially excessively or habitually:

drink, guzzle, tipple.

Informal: nip, soak.

Slang: booze, lush, tank up.

Idioms: bend the elbow, hit the bottle .

3. To take in (moisture or liquid):

absorb, drink, soak (up), sop up, take up.

4. To take in and incorporate, especially mentally:

absorb, assimilate, digest, take up.

Informal: soak (up).

Translations

absorbieren

juoda

bere assorbire

drinken nuttigen opnemen tot zich nemen

imbibe

[ɪmˈbaɪb]

A. VT (frm) (= drink) → beber (fig) [+ atmosphere] → empaparse de; [+ information] → imbuirse de (frm), empaparse de

B. VI (o.f., also hum) → beber

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

imbibe

(form, hum) → trinken, bechern (hum)

(fig) ideas, information → in sich (acc) → aufnehmen

vi (hum: = drink) → viel trinken

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

imbibe

[ɪmˈbaɪb] vt (frm) (also) (hum) (drink) → bere (fig) (absorb) → assorbire, assimilare

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

Thus, like figs, do these doctrines fall for you, my friends: imbibe now their juice and their sweet substance!

View in context

"You see I'm going to imbibe my information by the deductive rather than the excavative process," he added with a laugh.

View in context

Moreover, slaves are like other people, and imbibe prejudices quite common to others.

View in context

He now endeavored as well as he was able to dispel his gloom, which was caused by outward chance circumstances merely, and on the bosom of nature imbibe the milk of purest human enjoyment.

View in context

It is a shame to leave him to be educated by our enemies, who will give him evil counsel; whereas, brought up by the coadjutor, for instance, he would imbibe national principles and love his people."

View in context

"The highest wisdom and truth are like the purest liquid we may wish to imbibe," he said.

View in context

What the wasting tree is to the water that imbibes its shade, growing thus blacker by what it preys upon, may not the life of the Fay be to the death which engulfs it?"

View in context

Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, Acting Niger governor, who also spoke with newsmen, enjoined the Muslim faithful to always imbibe the spirit of love and brotherhood as enshrined in the Holy Quran and Hadith.

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They also sometimes go extra miles to imbibe new things and teach the same to their kids.

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The Edgbaston has won Imbibe magazine's Bar Team of the Year award 2019.

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"On this occasion let us also pray to Allah to grant us collective wisdom to imbibe the true spirit of his message

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Well fast forward five years and they have done just that by scooping the "best themed menu" accolade at this year's Imbibe Drinks List of the Year awards.